North Korea says Washington is deliberately trying to ruin its 'atmosphere of dialogue'

North Korea on Sunday said it did not decide to pledge to denuclearize because of increased U.S. sanctions leveled by the Trump administration in recent months. North Korean state media accused Washington of "misleading public opinion" by claiming the sanctions prompted the vow.

Such a claim "cannot be construed otherwise than a dangerous attempt to ruin the hardly-won atmosphere of dialogue and bring the situation back to square one," said a foreign ministry representative in Pyongyang, accusing the U.S. of "deliberately provoking the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] at the time when the situation on the Korean Peninsula is moving toward peace and reconciliation."

President Trump's new National Security Adviser John Bolton has copped to hoping for failure in past U.S.-North Korea talks to ease the path to war. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are due to meet this month.

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