U.S. negotiators have struggled in recent weeks over a North Korean demand for the United States to declare an end to the Korean War before making any concessions on denuclearization. U.S. officials have said any declaration would first require additional concessions from North Korea, such as the disclosure of its nuclear arsenal, according to U.S. and Korean diplomats who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions.
U.S. intelligence agencies have said Pyongyang is continuing to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in secret, despite announcing publicly that it was dismantling a pair of testing facilities.
“At the most basic level, this is the classic struggle for leverage with North Korea and leverage with China and, of course, the two are deeply interrelated,” said Evan Medeiros, who served as senior Asia director at the National Security Council in the Obama administration. “Trump with this tweet is clearly casting around. The problem is, Beijing and Pyongyang are hip to this game. They will likely see it more as a sign of frustration and vulnerability.”
In his tweets, Trump offered warm words for Kim, saying he looked forward to seeing the young dictator again soon, though a second summit has not been scheduled.
The cancellation marks the second time Trump has called off a high-level bilateral meeting with North Korea. In May, just weeks before his summit with Kim, Trump abruptly canceled, calling it a “tremendous setback” and warning Pyongyang that the U.S. military would act should the regime take any “foolish and reckless” action.
