Donald Trump's talks with Kim Jong-un ended abruptly on Thursday with the US President saying he was forced to walk away after Kim demanded that all sanctions were lifted in return for giving up only some of his nukes. Mr Trump told reporters that he remains on good terms with Kim and continued to tout the 'enormous potential' of North Korea, but added: 'Sometimes you have to walk away.'
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added: 'We have been working for weeks to find a path forward so we could make a big step at this summit. 'We made progress and even more progress when the two leaders met over the last 48, or 72 hours.
'But we didn't get all the way. We didn't get something that made sense for the United States.' Both Trump and Pompeo said there was a willingness on both sides to keep talking, but revealed that no follow-up summit has been scheduled. Trump said that Kim was willing to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear research facility if the US lifted sanctions, but said Kim was unwilling to make a deal on other facilities and weapons, forcing an end to the talks.
Asked whether it was premature to hold the summit now, Trump said he would 'much rather do it right than do it fast' and added that he 'could have signed something today' but didn't feel it was the right deal. But America and North Korea remain in a position 'to do something very special' together, he said. The recognition that no joint statement had been reached came despite weeks of advance negotiation.
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