Trump concedes he walked away from the Hanoi summit with no deal, but says 'it was a very friendly walk'

(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

published 28 February 2019

At a press conference in Hanoi on Thursday, after a summit with North Korea ended abruptly, President Trump said he and Kim Jong Un had a "very productive two days" but "sometimes you have to walk." He said the talks fell apart because "basically, they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety," but they would not agree to enough on denuclearization. "I want to take off the sanctions so badly," because North Korea has such "unbelievable potential," Trump said.

Trump said Kim was willing to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility for a full removal of sanctions, and that wasn't enough. "We asked him to do more, he was unprepared to do that," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Trump if walking away was "mostly your decision," but Trump didn't bite. "I don't want to say that it was my decision," he said. "I want to keep the relationship. ... We could have [signed a deal], I just didn't feel it was very appropriate." Trump wouldn't say if he is demanding total denuclearization from Kim, saying only, "We want a lot to be given up."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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