US believes N Korea deal still possible by 2020 election

DONALD TRUMP’S administration believes North Korea can still fully denuclearise in time for the 2020 presidential election, despite the collapse of talks in Hanoi.

A senior US official said that America was pushing “very hard” for that timetable and insisted it remained “doable”.

It would mean Pyongyang giving up all its nuclear weapons and destroying its nuclear facilities before November 2020.

The official said that denuclearisation amounted to the complete elimination of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programmes in the eyes of the Trump administration.

And the official did not deny that North Korea appeared to have begun rebuilding a key missile test site in recent weeks, though he said that the US had not come to any conclusions about the purpose of the activity.

Mr Trump yesterday reiterated a warning to Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, adding that he would be “surprised” if any activity had taken place which breached their previous agreements.

The two leaders’ meeting in Vietnam last week ended without agreement, with Mr Trump rejecting Kim’s offer to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility in turn for all economic sanctions imposed since March 2016 being lifted.

It has plunged negotiations into uncertainty, with another meeting between the men yet to be scheduled and the US continuing to insist that they will only lift sanctions once North Korea has fully denuclearised.

Discussing a time frame for denuclearisation, a US official said: “In our view it is still doable within the President’s first term, and that’s what we’re pushing very hard with our North Korean interlocutors to achieve.”

CNN reported that North Korean state media’s portrayal of the talks, which had initially been glowing and made no reference to the breakdown, had turned more negative recently, mentioning the failure to reach a deal.

But a senior US official insisted that the US and North Korean negotiation teams remained on good terms.

“We had a very constructive discussion with them in Hanoi and we left on very good terms. I think both sides agreed that the door remains open. Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding,” the official said.