BREAKING: Trump says US now ‘talking to’ NK about summit
The Latest on President Donald Trump and North Korea (all times local):
9:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump says the United States is “talking to” North Korea after he canceled a planned summit with leader Kim Jong Un. He told reporters Friday that “everybody plays games.”
Asked about the summit, Trump said Friday: “We’ll see what happens, it could even be the 12th,” referring to the June 12 date originally set.
Trump, who spoke to reporters at the White House before heading to the Naval Academy graduation ceremony, stressed that both sides would like the summit to happen. He said: “They very much want to do it, we’d like to do it.”
Trump withdrew from the summit Thursday but has left open the possibility that the two leaders could still meet.
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8:23 a.m.
President Donald Trump says North Korea’s latest statement on nuclear talks is “good news” and that “we will soon see where it will lead.”
The North Korean government on Friday said it is still “willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities” to reconsider talks “at any time, in any format.” The statement was issued in response to Trump’s abrupt cancellation of the June summit between the two countries in the U.S. bid to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapon.
Trump tweeted Friday: “Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea. We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully too long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!”
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1:08 a.m.
For President Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un may be the deal that got away.
Trump and his team weathered insults, tolerated unanswered phone calls and waited hours for negotiating partners who never showed up as they sought to keep the planned Singapore summit with Kim on track.
With prospects dimming and aides increasingly skeptical, Trump at first clung to his plans to meet with the North Korean leader, seeking to pull off what the president saw as a history-making nuclear deal. Trump could envision Nobel laurels.
Eager for a bold accomplishment, Trump agreed to Kim’s March overture for a summit in less than an hour, ignoring warnings of seasoned advisers.
But on Thursday morning, Trump determined that — for now anyway — the meeting was an unrequited diplomatic dream.
AP and other news agencies
Zachary Ballif The Kootneeti Team - White House Watch
