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U.S. NEWS Friday 25 May 2018
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Trump cancels summit with Kim; North Korea still wants talks

Continued from Front nuclear negotiating terms South Korea, and stressed insula hinged on the talks. invitation to meet back in
In a letter to Kim announc- for their unprecedented sit- that the United States was The Blue House said Thurs- March. He unveiled the
ing his decision to back down. The U.S. announce- prepared for any threat. day that it was trying to fig- date and the time with
away from the June 12 ment came not long after Still, Trump's announce- ure out Trump's intentions in characteristic showman-
summit, Trump pointed Kim appeared to make ment appeared to surprise canceling the summit. ship. And after initially pro-
to America's vast military good on his promise to de- South Korea, which had Trump, who considers him- jecting calm in the face of
might and warned the ris- molish his country's nuclear pushed to keep the sum- self a master dealmaker, North Korea's escalating
ing nuclear power against test site. But it also followed mit on track as recently has confounded aides and rhetoric, he made a sud-
any "foolish or reckless acts." escalating frustration — as Tuesday, when Presi- allies at every turn of the den about face, though
The letter kicked off a day and newly antagonistic dent Moon Jae-in met with fateful flirtation with the his letter also waxed poetic
of mixed messages by the rhetoric — from North Ko- Trump in the Oval Office North. He looked past the about the "wonderful dia-
president, who declared rea over comments from and said the "fate and the warnings of senior aides logue" emerging between
hours later, "I really believe Trump aides about U.S. ex- future" of the Korean Pen- when he accepted Kim's the two leaders.q
Kim Jong Un wants to do pectations for the North's
what's right." After that, a "denuclearization."
senior White House official The senior U.S. official
said the North lacked judg- said the North violated a
ment and had reneged on pledge to allow interna-
its promises ahead of the tional inspectors to monitor
summit. Trump said from the the supposed implosion of
White House that a "maxi- the site Thursday. Interna-
mum pressure campaign" tional journalists were pres-
of economic sanctions and ent, but the U.S. govern-
diplomatic isolation would ment can't verify the site's
continue against North Ko- destruction. The official
rea — with which the U.S. is spoke on the condition of
technically still at war — but anonymity to avoid over-
he added that it was pos- shadowing Trump's com-
sible the summit could still ments Thursday.
take place at some point. Russian President Vladimir
North Korea issued a state- Putin, a staunch Kim ally,
ment Friday saying it is still said the North Korean lead-
"willing to give the U.S. time er had in fact done "every-
and opportunities" to re- thing that he had promised
consider talks "at any time, in advance, even blowing
at any format." up the tunnels and shafts"
Vice Foreign Minister Kim of his country's nuclear test-
Kye Gwan called Trump's ing site. Putin said of Trump's
decision "unexpected" and announcement, "In Russia
"very regrettable," and said we took this news with re-
the cancellation of the gret." Trump, in his letter to
talks shows "how grave the Kim, objected specifically
status of historically deep- to a statement from a top
rooted hostile North Korea- North Korean Foreign Min-
U.S. relations is and how ur- istry official. That statement
gently a summit should be referred to Vice President
realized to improve ties." Mike Pence as a "political
Kim insisted North Korea's dummy" for his comments
"objective and resolve to on the North and said it
do our best for the sake was up to the Americans
of peace and stability of whether they would "meet
the Korean Peninsula and us at a meeting room or
all humankind remain un- encounter us at nuclear-to-
changed." nuclear showdown."
Trump's surprise exit capped Underscoring the high
weeks of high-stakes brink- stakes, Trump said he had
manship between the two spoken with military lead-
unpredictable leaders over ers, as well as Japan and