Trump-Kim summit: president says US 'will be stopping the war games' – live
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Version 16 of 37. “From the beginning we got along”, Trump says of his meeting with Kim. Trump had previously boasted that he would know whether he could make a deal with Kim in the first seconds. Asked about the comment, Trump said: “You know in the first second. Ok sometimes that doesn’t work out, but sometimes it does”. “I know when somebody want’s to deal ... I just feel, my instinct, my talent,” he says. “I think he wants to make a deal. We will know very soon because the negotiations are continuing,” Trump adds. He claims people in North Korea gulags will be one of the great winners from the summit. Trump insists that he had very good meeting at the G7 over the weekend. But he adds: “I’ll be honest we are being taken advantage of by virtually every one of those countries” He claims the US has trade deficit close to $100bn with Canada. He admits that he “didn’t look friendly” in a photograph of him looking at Angela Merkel at the summit. But he insists it was friendly. The leaders were waiting for the text of the communique at the time, he says. “Actually we were just talking, the whole group, about something, unrelated to anything.” I have a good relationship with Justin. I have a good relationship with Merkel, but Germany are paying 1% of GDP towards Nato, he says. Trump says more details will be provided about the destruction of North Korea’s missile engine test sites. He says he had 300 “very big and powerful” sanctions ready last week but held off ahead of the summit because imposing them would have been “disrespectful”. We have gotten a lot from the summit, Trump insists. North Korea has already demonstrated its commitment by destroying a testing site, Trump claims. Asked why he didn’t get a commitment to complete verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation or CVID, Trump say there wasn’t time. “I’m here for one day. The process is now going to take place,” Trump says. Asked more about war games, Trump says they are very expensive, and the US pays for the majority of them. He points out that planes have to fly six and half hours from Guam to take part. “I know a lot about airplanes, and it’s very expensive,” he says. The war games are very provocative. It is inappropriate to be having war games, Trump says. Asked about sanctions, Trump said he looked forward to lifting them. “The sanctions will come off when we are sure when we are sure the nukes are no longer a factor,” he said. Asked about the timeline, he said denuclearisation “takes a long time scientifically”. Trump insists that he and Kim discussed human rights at length. “We did discuss it today, pretty strongly…We’ll be doing something on it. It’s rough in a lot of places,” he said. Trump says he would like to travel to Pyongyang at the appropriate time and will invite Kim to the White House “at the appropriate time”. Asked about prisoners of war and human rights, Trump says human rights was discussed. “They will be doing things. He wants to do the right thing,” Trump says. He adds that Kim is a smart negotiator. Kim is “much different” leader. Asked about the lack of a commitment to verifying denuclearisation, Trump says it will be achieved by “having a lot of people there”. He adds “it will be verified” claiming that this will be done be both Koreans and international observers. Trump also appears to commit to stopping US-Korea military exercises. “I’d like to bring them home, but that’s not part of the equation right now. But we will be stopping the war games.” Trump insists that Kim is “very talented” despite North Korea’s human rights record. Otto Warmbier did not die in vain, Trump says. “Without Otto, this wouldn’t happen. Something happened that day,” he says. Trump claims the agreement will help the US save a lot of money. Trump embellishes the agreement by claiming Kim has given his “unwavering commitment” to denuclearisation. He says after the the document was signed Kim agreed verbally to destroying North Korea’s “major missile engine testing site”. “Chairman Kim has before him an opportunity like no other to be remembered as the leader who ushered in a glorious new era of prosperity for his people,” Trump says. Trump jokes about feeling very uncomfortable in front of so many journalists as he invites questions. Trump begins his press conference by saying that North Korea has the potential to be a great place. He says he and Kim have spent “intensive hours together”. He thanks Singapore for hosting the summit and pays tribute to the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan. He thanks Kim for taking a bold step for his people. It proves that real change is possible, he says. The meeting was honest, direct and productive, Trump says. Adversaries can indeed become friends, Trump claims. There is no limit to what North Korea can achieve when it gives up nuclear weapons and embraces commerce, Trump says. Trump has told ABC that he trusts Kim and Kim trusts him. He also confirmed he had spoken on the phone to Kim before the summit. President Trump just told me that he trusts NK leader Kim Jong Un: “he trusts me and I trust him.” https://t.co/9qUreOKv8J NEW: @GStephanopoulos has just wrapped an interview with President Trump, who confirmed this summit was not the first time he's spoken with Kim Jong Un. They've spoken on the phone. US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, claims officials are already working on the all-important detail of the commitments. Preparing for future work ahead to deliver on the commitments made at the #singaporesummit @StateDept pic.twitter.com/lchhB0Qq7h Trump seems keen on the optics of the summit. He’s just tweeted this video. pic.twitter.com/tJG3KIn2q0 A couple more thoughts on the agreement ... Bullet point 3 is clearly the crucial part of this statement, about the question of nuclear disarmament, and it is fairly weak, certainly a long way away from the brisk disarmament of North Korea Trump officials were promising in advance of this summit. For one thing it says that North Korea will work towards denuclearisation, which a fairly flimsy diplomatic word. Also it references the Panmunjom Declaration signed by Kim and the South Korean president Moon Jae-in in April. That talks about “the common goal of realising, through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free Korean peninsula” - in other words, North Korean nuclear disarmament would take place as part of a global nuclear disarmament, so no time soon. China’s foreign ministry has said the international community could consider lifting economic sanctions on North Korea after the agreement signed today, according to Reuters. This suggestion by Chinese officials signal the US policy of “maximum pressure” is already showing signs of cracking. China represents more than 90 percent of Pyongyang’s trade and is in a position to provide much needed relief for the isolated regime. There are already reports that Kim’s charm offensive has lead China to relax restrictions on trade with the North, violating United Nations’ sanctions. All of this has come without substantial concessions from Pyongyang, despite a promise from the White House “maximum pressure” would endure until North Korea relinquishes its nuclear weapons |