Thursday, February 28th 2019, 5:07 am
President Trump told reporters in Hanoi he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not sign an agreement as scheduled largely because they disagreed on sanctions and nuclear facilities.
Mr. Trump, fielding reporters' questions after the White House abruptly announced the summit would be cut short, explained, "Sometimes you have to walk." Mr. Trump said he and U.S. leaders decided walking away would be better than giving away too much.
North Korea, the president explained, wanted the U.S. to eliminate all sanctions imposed on it, in exchange for the shuttering of just one nuclear facility.
The summit was truncated, to the surprise of the press, with the elimination of a lunch and a signing ceremony previously on the schedule. Both Mr. Trump and Kim had expressed cautious optimism in earlier interactions with the press. Mr. Trump described the conversations as "productive." When asked earlier if he was willing to denuclearize, Kim said, through a translator, "If I'm not willing to do that I wouldn't be here right now."
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says talks will continue, but there is no third summit scheduled at this point.
Follow along below for more from the press conference.
As of 3:08 p.m. local time and 3:08 a.m. Eastern time, the president's motorcade departed the hotel where the press conference was held for the airport in Hanoi.
Mr. Trump said there is no next summit scheduled with Kim at this point.
February 28th, 2019
January 2nd, 2025
September 29th, 2024
September 17th, 2024
March 31st, 2025
March 30th, 2025
March 30th, 2025