Trump goes from hot to cold on North Korea
Plan for historic summit canceled amid deep rifts
WASHINGTON – As talks between the United States and North Korea about a historic nuclear summit picked up pace last month, President Trump, ever the real estate developer, was eager to discuss one particular detail of the potential gathering: its location.
Before ruling out the Demilitarized Zone as a site for the meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Trump envisioned a “great celebration” emanating from the barbed-wire-lined border that has cleaved the Korean Peninsula since the Eisenhower administration.
“You’re actually there,” Trump said in April. “If things work out, there’s a great celebration to be had.” Later, he visualized the meeting in Singapore before calling it off altogether.
Trump’s decision to pull out of the summit Thursday broke with weeks of exuberance about a chance to find a peace in the region that had eluded his predecessors. Analysts said that energy belied deep differences in what the two countries wanted that might have doomed the meeting before it ever became a possibility.
“This was never going to happen. It was always the ultimate Hail Mary pass,” said Harry Kazianis, defense studies director at the Washington-based Center for the National Interest. “It’s always been clear that both sides were miles apart.”
Trump sought “total denuclearization” in exchange for lifting sanctions. North Korea, threatening to pull out of the meeting last week, made clear it would never give up those weapons. Those two diametrically opposed positions left little middle ground.
Announcing his decision in a letter to Kim, Trump described the canceled summit as a “truly sad moment in history.” In subsequent remarks at the White House, the president left the door open to talks, telling Kim to “call me or write” if “you change your mind having to do with this most important summit.”
Democrats blasted the breakdown as failed diplomacy and blamed a lack
of legwork by Trump. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., accused the president of accepting “an invitation to meet with Kim Jong Un without a crystal lear understanding of the agenda or sufficient preparation.”
Republicans focused on Trump’s decision to withdraw, which they applauded. Some analysts said the administration’s effort could still pay off.
“If both sides show a little more restraint, we could see some sort of diplomatic opening in the next month or two,” Kazianis said.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Kim’s government did not respond for several days to overtures for planning meetings. Then Trump signaled trouble was afoot.
“It was a long shot to begin with,” said Victor Cha, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
He said Trump’s biggest mistake may be that he moved too fast.
“The letter from Trump implies that direct dialogue was, and may continue to be, taking place,” Cha said.