Trump, Kim Fail To Reach Agreement In Hanoi After Talks Abruptly Collapse

Kim wanted sanctions to be “lifted in their entirety and we wouldn’t do that,” the president said.

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un failed to reach a nuclear agreement during their second summit, which was abruptly cut short in Hanoi, Vietnam on Thursday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters following his negotiations with Kim, Trump said there were two sticking points that had made a deal “inappropriate” at this time. Kim wanted sanctions to be “lifted in their entirety and we wouldn’t do that,” the president said.

Trump added that while Kim had offered to “denuke a large area that we wanted,” including the Yongbyon site, the North Korean leader was not willing to meet U.S. demands to dismantle a number of other nuclear facilities, including a second uranium enrichment site.

“You always have to be prepared to walk,” Trump said, referring to the stalled talks. “I could’ve 100 percent signed something today. We had papers ready to sign … I’d much rather do it right than do it fast.”