Trump Warns of Kim’s Summit Cancellation After North Korea Blows Off US Talks
In a mid‑morning Oval Office cameo, Donald Trump signaled a growing uncertainty about the June 12 summit in Singapore. The US’s “brilliant” leader admitted he hadn’t received a single nod from Pyongyang that the meeting would hang by a thread.
The Caution from the Oval Office
- Trump said, “We’ve not been notified at all. We’ll have to see what’s coming.”
- He added, “We haven’t heard anything… we’ll see what happens.”
- All in all, he basically laid out a vague, yet hopeful, doubt on the table.
North Korea Fires Back
After a weeks of belated handshake‑and‑cheer, North Korea, represented by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, went on the offensive. The KCNA‑reported warning read:
- “If the US is trying to force us into a corner for unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will not be interested in dialogue.”
- “We will have to reconsider our participation in the summit.”
The Korean Minister also slammed John Bolton’s Libyan comparison as “absolutely absurd,” serving a dose of diplomatic irony.
China, France, and the US Respond
China, the sole big ally on the Korean peninsula, urged the summit to go ahead. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang called the easing of tensions a “tiny pearl that deserves admiration.”
Meanwhile, France’s Jean‑Yves Le Drian chided the North for lacking sincerity, stressing, “Highs and lows can come along, but we’ve got a goal to keep in sight.”
The White House, meanwhile, stayed optimistic. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed: “The president is ready if the meeting takes place; if not, we’ll press on the max‑pressure campaign we’ve been running.”
Tightrope Diplomacy
North Korea’s warning came after a string of soft‑spoken apexes: Kim Jong Un’s historic summit with the South’s president, two talks with China’s Xi Jinping, and an announcement to demolish a nuclear test site. Analysts suggest the country is now trying to play a new card, shifting terms to suit a tighter diplomatic dance.
Experts on the Move
- Professor Kim Hyun‑wook (Korea National Diplomatic Academy) called it a “brink‑manship to change the US position.”
- Joshua Pollack warned that the “triumphalist tone” is irritating Pyongyang, widening the gulf between expectations in Washington and Pyongyang.
Thunderstruck!
KCNA blasted the US‑South Korean “Max Thunder” exercise as a “rude and wicked provocation.” The two‑week drill, featuring about 100 aircraft—including hard‑hitting F‑22s—started last Friday. Meanwhile, Seoul confirmed it is canceling high‑level talks “indefinitely.”
