U.S. President Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump failed to fulfill a promise made to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their historic June summit in Singapore that he would soon sign a declaration ending the Korean War, according to a report published Wednesday.
Vox News highlighted how Trump's decision to ‘move the goalposts and make it conditional’ led to the recent stalemate in negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.
The report said Trump had promised to sign the peace declaration, which would officially put an end to the war between North and South Korea, but months have passed and nothing has happened.
The Trump administration is now saying that North Korea needs to get rid of its nuclear arsenal first before it can sign any peace agreement, while Pyongyang is saying Trump's failure to keep his word has made it reluctant to denuclearize.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he could restart wargames with South Korea "instantly" but maintained "there is no reason at this time" for them to re-commence.Trump posted what he said was a White House statement to Twitter that largely focused on China, blaming Beijing for ongoing inertia in talks aimed at securing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.Trump said China is giving Pyongyang "considerable aid, including money, fuel, fertilizer and various other commodities".US says no plan to suspend more SKorea military drills"This is not helpful!" he said in a now signature brief exclamation.The president praised his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un but made a veiled threat to the North over joint military drills with the South which Trump previously called "very provocative," echoing the North's rhetoric, before calling them off."The President can instantly start the joint exercises again with South Korea, and Japan, if he so chooses. If he does, they will be far bigger than ever before," Trump said.No talks with US over resuming military drills: SeoulThe comments add to growing confusion over the joint drills.On Tuesday, Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon that while the U.S. called off the summer wargames with the South, there are no plans currently in place to halt additional joint exercises."At this time, there is no discussion about further suspensions," Mattis said. "We're making no changes to the exercise program at this time."The defense chief said Trump's decision to cancel exercises planned for this summer was a "good faith" measure following the president's historic sit-down with Kim in Singapore last June.The U.S. has conducted military drills with South Korea since the 1950s and has roughly 28,000 troops stationed there.
Trump: Wargames with South Korea could resume instantly
"I’m not familiar with that being part of the overall agreement, but I can tell you that we believe that denuclearization has to take place before we get to other parts," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in response to a question from a reporter.
The White House has yet to make any statements on the issue.
Trump and Kim met on June 12 in Singapore and reached an agreement on the removal of nuclear weapons in North Korea.
But the diplomatic harmony between the two countries deteriorated in the ensuing weeks, and the U.S. began accusing Pyongyang of not making any progress on dismantling its arsenal.
While fighting between the two Koreas was paused with the July 1953 armistice, the war has technically continued because no formal peace treaty has been signed.