Sanctions still biting but pressure waning ahead of Trump-kim summit
Compiled from Dispatches
US President Donald Trump said sanctions on North Korea are “on in full” ahead of his summit with leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi this week, but analysts say time is running out on Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign.
The two leaders will meet in the Vietnamese capital on Wednesday and Thursday, eight months after their historic summit in Singapore, where they pledged to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Reuters reported.
But their vaguely-worded agreement has produced few results and the US Democratic senators and security officials have warned Trump against cutting a deal on North Korea’s nuclear disarmament.
North Korea’s mission to the United Nations released a memo last week warning the country is facing a food shortfall, blaming the weather as well as “barbaric and inhuman” sanctions it says have blocked much-needed farming supplies.
Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign not only imposed sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapon program, but rallied countries to cut economic and political ties with Pyongyang and expel North Korean workers.
Kim appears eager to secure at least some relief from sanctions, which have stood in the way of official investment by companies and governments, many of which have signaled they are waiting on sanctions relief to invest in everything from highways and telecommunications to special economic zones.
But across the region there are signs the political and economic pressure on North Korea has sprung leaks as Pyongyang adapts to restrictions and more countries signal their willingness to reopen trade.
Trump also told US state governors at the White House he was happy so long as North Korea continues its pause in weapons testing.
Trump, who was speaking on Sunday on the eve of his departure for his second summit with Kim, also said that he believed he saw eye to eye with Kim and that they had developed “a very, very good relationship.”
“I’m not in a rush. I don’t want to rush anybody,” Trump said. “I just don’t want testing. As long as there’s no testing, we’re happy.”
The Trump administration has pressed the North to give up its nuclear weapons program, which combined with its missile capabilities.
But in recent days, Trump has signaled a possible softening, saying he would love to be able to remove sanctions if there is meaningful progress on denuclearization.
Call for Moscow’s advice
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the United States has asked Moscow’s advice in dealing with North Korea before the summit, AP reported.
Lavrov, who is also visiting Vietnam this week, said in comments carried by Russian news agencies on Monday that Russia believes that the US ought to offer Pyongyang “security guarantees” for the disarmament deal to succeed.
He also mentioned that “the US is even asking our advice, our views on this or that scenario of” how the summit in Hanoi could pan out.