Trump-Kim summit: US president blames failure of talks on North Korea's demand for sanctions to be dropped
Follow the latest updates on the historic meeting
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have cut short their talks in Hanoi, Vietnam and skipped a scheduled lunch event.
The White House confirmed the summit had ended with “no agreement reached” as the leaders headed back to their respective hotels.
The US president talks broke down over North Korea’s demands on US-led sanctions.
“Basically, they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, but we couldn’t do that,” he told reporters. “Sometimes you have to walk.”
Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said negotiations would continue at a future date.
Several Democrats came out acknowledging Mr Trump’s decision to walk away without a deal was the right move in this situation. Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff said walking away with no deal was better than agreeing to a bad deal, before adding that it was “the result of a poorly planned strategy.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed similar statements, citing his concerns about the likelihood of a bad deal forming out of the summit.
“A deal that fell short of complete denuclearization would have only made North Korea stronger & the world less safe,” Mr Schumer said.
After the summit, Mr Trump also defended Mr Kim over the tragic death of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was jailed in North Korea in December 2015 for attempting to steal propaganda material during an organised tour.The president said he does not believe the autocratic leader was aware of Mr Warmbier’s condition in the North Korean hard labour prison camp.
"He tells me he didn't know about it, and I will take him at his word,” Mr Trump said.
After two years of imprisonment, North Korean authorities returned Mr Warbier to the US in a coma in July 2017. A few days later, the 22-year-old died in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman criticised the American president’s defense of Mr Kim.
“I’m very concerned that the President didn’t seem to be all that concerned about the murder of Otto Warmbier from Cincinnati,” Mr Brown told reporters on Thursday. “I don’t know how he says he likes the dictator of NK so much.”
Mr Portman insists that Mr Trump and the American people must remember Mr Warmbier and that “we should never let North Korea off the hook for what they did to him."
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Donald Trump seems to be watching Michael Cohen's congressional testimony while staying in Vietnam. He tweeted his response to Cohen, accusing him of lying to avoid prison time.
The White House Correspondents Association released a statement condemning the White House's decision banning journalists from Donald Trump dinner with Kim Jong Un.
Donald Trump is expected to hold a news conference in Hanoi around 3.50am ET.
Senator Lindsay Graham also said it is "poor form" to conduct Michael Cohen's congressional hearing while Donald Trump is in the middle of peace talks with Kim Jong Un.
In his meeting with Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump said North Korea had "tremendous economic potential."
It is currently 1.30am in Hanoi. It is believed that Donald Trump is up and watching Michael Cohen's congressional testimony.
Google Trends show that Michael Cohen's congressional testimony beats out Donald Trump's summit meeting with Kim Jong Un.
Per Bloomberg, President Donald Trump's schedule for his second day at the Hanoi summit is as follows:
- 9:00 a.m. (9:00 p.m. in New York): Trump participates in one-on-one bilateral meeting with Kim
- 9:45 a.m. (9:45 p.m. in New York): Trump and Kim hold expanded bilateral meeting with aides present
- 11:55 a.m. (11:55 p.m. in New York): Trump and Kim hold working lunch
- 2:05 p.m. (2:05 a.m. in New York): Trump and Kim participate in joint agreement signing ceremony
- 3:50 p.m. (3:50 a.m. in New York): Trump holds press conference
Reuters
| Here's a picture of Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un sitting down for dinner at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi |
The next major thing to watch at this historical summit is the one-on-one bilateral meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. It is scheduled to take place at 9am local time (that's 2am GMT, or 9pm EST).
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