International media reports says nearly five hours of talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un culminated on June 12 with fulsome declarations of a new friendship but just vague pledges of nuclear disarmament.
The document Trump and Kim signed said the North Korean leader “reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” In exchange, Trump agreed to “provide security guarantees” to North Korea.
But there was no mentioning the previous US aim of “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization,” CNN reports. And Kim's commitments did not appear to go beyond what he already pledged to do in April when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in along their countries' border.
Tuesday's summit was the result of an extraordinary gamble for both Trump and Kim, according to CNN. Trump hailed the talks as a historic, and personal, achievement.
"We learned a lot about each other and our countries," Trump said after sitting next to Kim and signing the document. "I learned he's a very talented man."
He said he would “absolutely” extend an invitation to the White House to Kim, who also heralded a new era.
Later, during a solo news conference after the summit, Trump said he does indeed “trust” Kim.
The Guardian says Trump hailed his summit with Kim Jong-un as “very important event in world history” claiming Kim has given his “unwavering” commitment to denuclearization. He claimed denuclearization of North Korea’s “very substantial” nuclear arsenal could be achieved very quickly but gave few details or a specific timeframe.
International observers will be deployed to verify North Korea’s denuclearization, Trump insisted despite the lack of a commitment to this in the agreement the two leaders signed. Trump said he looked forward to lifting sanctions once “nukes are no longer a factor.”
Trump reportedly also said during the news event that the United States will stop the "war games," an apparent reference to joint military exercises with South Korea that North Korea has long rebuked as provocative.
Trump also said he hopes to eventually withdraw US forces from South Korea, but said "that's not part of the equation right now.”
