Trump urges Kim to ‘come to the table’ TRUMP AIDE REVEALS MORE RUSSIA CONTACTS
S. Korea to buy US weapons to protect against North
Seoul, Nov. 7: In a striking shift of tone, President Donald Trump abandoned his aggressive rhetoric toward North Korea on Tuesday, signaling a willingness to negotiate as he urged Pyongyang to “come to the table” and “make a deal.”
Mr Trump, in his first day on the Korean peninsula, again pushed Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, but sounded an optimistic note, saying confidently, if vaguely, “ultimately, it’ll all work out.” And while he said the US would use military force if needed, he expressed his strongest inclination yet to deal with rising tensions with Pyongyang through diplomacy.
“It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world,” Mr Trump said during a news conference alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in. “I do see certain movement.”
He said he’s seen “a lot of progress” in dealing with North Korea though he stopped short of saying whether he wanted direct diplomatic talks.
Mr Trump also underscored the United States’ military options, noting that three aircraft carrier groups and a nuclear submarine had been deployed to the region. But he said “we hope to God we never have to use” the arsenal.
South Korea has agreed to buy US weapons worth “billions of dollars”, including nuclear-powered submarines, to guard against threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.
Mr Trump said that the South would be buying a large amount of US weapons “whether it’s planes, whether it’s missiles, no matter what it is”.
South Korea heavily relies on its security guarantor Washington, which has 28,500 troops stationed in the country, for national defence to protect itself against potential attacks by the nuclear-armed North Korea. — Agencies Washington, Nov. 7: A second foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump’s campaign has admitted to contacts with Russian officials during last year’s election and to having proposed that Trump travel to Russia during the campaign.
Former investment banker and Russia expert Carter Page told the House Intelligence Committee last week that he had “brief ” contact with a Russian deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich during a “private” trip to Moscow in July 2016, according to a transcript of his testimony released on Tuesday.
He said he had told some members of the Trump campaign about the Russia trip, including Jeff Sessions, who is now the attorney-general.
Mr Page also said that he had proposed in May 2016 that Mr Trump travel to Russia to meet officials and make a speech.
That was the same month another foreign policy advisor, George Papadopoulos, also suggested Mr Trump visit Mosco. —