Trump Applauds North Korea's 'Productive Statement' After US Pulls Out of Summit
President Donald Trump on Friday said he remains open to holding a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month, and applauded the country’s “productive statement” that followed his announcement to cancel the summit just one day ago.
In a tweet Friday morning, Trump expressed hope that North Korea’s response will lead to “enduring peace and prosperity.”
“Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea. We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!” he said.
On Thursday, Trump abruptly called off the planned summit, citing “tremendous anger and open hostility” in recent North Korean statements.
On Friday, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan announced the country was willing to sit down with the United States “at any time, at any format” and was “willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities” to reconsider, The Associated Press reported.
“The unilateral cancellation of the summit was unexpected and very regrettable,” Kim said. “But we remain unchanged in our willingness to do everything we can for the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and of the humanity, so with a broad and open mind, we are willing to give the United States time and opportunity.”
“Despite all of this, the U.S.’ unilateral decision to scrap the talks causes us to reconsider whether all of the efforts and the path we have taken is really the right one or not,” the official said, according to South Korea’s news agency, Yonhap. “Our commitment to doing our best for the sake of peace and stability for the world and the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged, and we are open-minded in giving time and opportunity to the U.S.”
“We would like to make known to the US side once again that we have the intent to sit with the US side to solve problem(s) regardless of ways at any time,” Kim continued.
Kim also said Trump’s decision was “not consistent with the desire of humankind for peace and stability in the world, to say nothing of those in the Korean Peninsula.”
On Friday, the president told reporters that he is still open to meeting with Kim on June 12.
“We’re going to see what happens. We’re talking to them now. It was a very nice statement they put out,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens. It could even be the 12th. We’re talking to them now.”
“They very much want to do it. We’d like to do it,” he added.
The president also slammed Democrats on Twitter for their response to the summit’s cancellation, accusing them of “rooting against” the United States.
“Democrats are so obviously rooting against us in our negotiations with North Korea,” he tweeted. “Just like they are coming to the defense of MS 13 thugs, saying that they are individuals & must be nurtured, or asking to end your big Tax Cuts & raise your taxes instead. Dems have lost touch!” he said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that Trump’s letter to Kim canceling the summit read like a “valentine.”
“He’s the big winner and when he got this letter from the president saying ‘OK nevermind,’ he must be having a giggle fit, right now, in North Korea,” Pelosi said.
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