ANKARA
The U.S. and North Korean leaders early Thursday unexpectedly cut short their summit in Hanoi, with U.S. President Trump saying he could not agree to the North’s request for a complete lifting of sanctions.
"Sometimes we have to walk away," he said about leaving the summit session half-way. "And we decided not to sign anything today."
Speaking to reporters in the Vietnamese capital soon after exiting the summit with Kim Jong-un, he explained: "It was about sanctions. Kim wanted sanctions to be lifted in entirety, we could not do that. [But] we have not given up."
HANOI, VIETNAM - FEBRUARY 27: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY – MANDATORY CREDIT - "WHITE HOUSE PHOTO / SHEALAH CRAIGHEAD / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (L) meet at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi, for their second summit meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam on February 27, 2019. ( Shealah Craighead / White House Photo / Handout - Anadolu Agency )
Trump also, however, expressed optimism, saying: "We have made lot more progress today."
Accompanied by his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, Trump reiterated that he shares a "very good relationship with Kim."
Trump said Kim promised him last night that "there would no testing of rockets, missiles of whatever nuclear."
Earlier, a statement by White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said that the two leaders “discussed various ways to advance denuclearization and economic-driven concepts.”
“No agreement was reached this time,” she said, adding: “Their respective teams look forward to meeting in future.”
Trump also said that China and Russia could be helpful in achieving peace, calling Chinese President Xi Jinping "a highly respected leader. He has been helpful. Could he be a bit more helpful? Probably yes."
Trump also said that he would be contacting the South Korean and Japanese leaders to update them about the progress made at the summit.
