President Trump is optimistic coming off his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that was unexpectedly cut short without a deal on denuclearization.
“Great to be back from Vietnam, an amazing place. We had very substantive negotiations with Kim Jong Un – we know what they want and they know what we must have,” Trump tweeted Friday morning in arriving back in the U.S. “Relationship very good, let’s see what happens!”
Great to be back from Vietnam, an amazing place. We had very substantive negotiations with Kim Jong Un – we know what they want and they know what we must have. Relationship very good, let’s see what happens!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2019
The White House announced Thursday that the summit was cut short after the two sides couldn’t agree on a deal to end U.S. sanctions against North Korea in return for Kim’s commitment to scrap its nuclear program.
“The two leaders discussed various ways to advance denuclearization and economic driven concepts,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. “No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future.”
Sanders said that the meetings, held in Hanoi, Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday, were “very good and constructive.”
“It was a very interesting two days. And I think actually it was a very productive two days. But sometimes you have to walk. And this was just one of those times,” Trump told reporters in Hanoi after Thursday’s scheduled working lunch was canceled right before it began.
[Also read: North Korea rejects Trump’s claim on sanctions relief after summit ends without a deal]
