Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday that President Trump “is to be commended” for walking away from failed denuclearization talks with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un.
“High-level diplomacy can carry high-level risks, but the president is to be commended for walking away when it became clear insufficient progress had been made on denuclearization,” McConnell said Thursday on the Senate floor.
Trump abruptly left the talks held in Vietnam after negotiations stalled and Kim would not agree to sufficient denuclearization efforts. McConnell said it was “smart” to hold the talks in Vietnam, where Kim could witness the economic prosperity of the once-divided nation.
“Kim Jong Un now has a long train ride home, and he will have time to reflect on the future that is still within North Korea’s grasp,” McConnell said. “But the president has demonstrated that such a future must be accompanied by real denuclearization.”
Trump said before leaving Vietnam that he did get Kim to commit to stop testing missiles.
[Opinion: Sen. Jeff Merkley’s stupid comparison of Trump and Kim Jong Un]
