Trump had to 'face the music' that U.S., North Korea worlds apart on nuclear deal

Donald Trump's decision to scrap a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-unwas inevitable, some experts say, but there is still hope the meeting can happen.

Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at theBrookingsInstitutionCenterfor East Asia Policy Studies, doesn't think the suddenscuttling of the summit wasa strategic move by the president.

Rather, he said,it became increasingly apparent in recent days thatthe U.S. and North Koreawere "worlds apart"on any definition of denuclearization, and Trump's deal-making couldn't bridge the gap.

Trump calls off North Korea summit

6 years ago

Duration 0:50

Donald Trump says he's waiting for Kim Jong-un to engage in 'constructive dialogue' after calling off North Korea summit.

"It just seemed to me that ultimately even Trump had to face the music on this and simply cancel it," Pollack toldCBCNews.

"The North Koreans have never said they would give up their nuclear weapons. Never. And it might have behooved the administration if they had paid more attention to what North Korea says very, very consistently."

'Wing and a prayer'

Pollack said it was clear the summit was being put together "on a wing and a prayer," and itscollapse was"eminently predictable."

"President Trump agreed to it initially on a very impulsive basis, without any kind of consultations with his immediate circle, without any consideration of the complexities of it and, frankly, withthe belief that somehow North Korea could be talked out of its nuclear weapons."

Hopes for some kind of breakthrough deal on North Korea's nuclear weapons program was based on "an enormous amount of magical thinking" on Trump's part, Pollack said.

• North Korea has freed 3 U.S. detainees

The summit, which had been scheduled for June 12in Singapore, would have been the first time a sitting U.S. president met face-to-face with a North Korean leader.

But in a letter addressed to Kimand released by the White Houseon Thursday, Trump said he felt it was "inappropriate" to go forward, basedon the "tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in yourmost recent statement."

While Kim himself had not made any public statements, Foreign Ministry officialChoeSon Huihad recently referred toMike Pence as a "political dummy" and threatened a nuclear showdown after the U.S. vice-president suggested North Korea could meet the same fate as Libyaif Kim did not make a deal.

Libya voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapons program in 2003, andleaderMoammarGadhafi was later ousted from power and killed by rebel forces.

At least one U.S. official told The Associated Pressthat theNorth Korean government hadbroken several promises it made to the U.S. and South Korea: representatives failed toshow up for a preliminary meetingin Singapore earlier this month, and have not returned calls from the U.S.

Meanwhile, North Korea following throughon a pledge to blow up tunnels at its main nuclear testsite did not impressthe White House, with asenior official telling Reutersthat NorthKoreabroke itspromise to allow experts to witness the dismantling of the site.

North Korea responded to Trump's cancellationof the summit by sayingit was still "willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities" to reconsider talks "at any time, at any format."

Vice Foreign Minister KimKyeGwancalled Trump's withdrawal "unexpected" and "very regrettable," butsaid thecancellationof the talks showed "how grave the status of historically deep-rooted hostile North Korea-U.S. relations is and how urgently a summit should be realized to improve ties."

On Friday, Trumpwelcomed North Korea's response, saying, "we're talking to them now" about putting it back on track.

"Everybody plays games," said Trump.The president, commenting as he left the White House for a commencement speech, said it was even possible the summit could take place on the originally planned June 12 date.

"They very much want to do it, we'd like to do it," he said.

'Day and night apart'

Harry Kazianis,director of defence studies at the conservative D.C.-based think-tank Center for the National Interest, said he's not at all surprised the summit was called off.

"The simple fact is that North Korea, when it came to a summit, wanted to make an aspirational pledge to denuclearize. The Trump administration wanted something concrete," he said, like atimelineor an inspection and verification process.

• North Korea claims to have demolished nuclear test site

"Considering both sides were just day and night apart, this was always bound to collapse,"Kazianis said.

But Kazianisdoesn't think the summit is necessarily dead. Trump himself seemed to keep the door open, inviting Kim to "call me or write me" if he changed his mind aboutthe summit.

North Korea releases video of a nuclear test site being demolished

6 years ago

Duration 0:54

The video is said to show the destruction of the Punggye_ri nuclear test site in the country's northeast mountain region

"I think the Trump administration really wants to have it, but there needs to be some sort of pledges on denuclearization," Kazianis said.

He said North Korea's reactionover the next 24 to 48 hours will be key.

"If they were smart,they wouldn't react very strongly and continue to try to do behind-the-scenes diplomacy to get to a summit."

OlliHeinonen, a former deputy director-general at the UN'snuclearagency, also said he doesn't think the door is closed.

• North Korean media return to angry tone as summit looms

"[Trump]is testing how willing Kim is," he told The Associated Press. "We have to remember why Kim comes to the meeting: the sanctions are biting. They have economic trouble there. I don't think this is the end of the road."

Aformer senior White House official and non-resident scholar at CarnegieEndowment for International Peace says Trump is trying to "play hard to get" with Kim.

"Don't be fooled," Jon B.Wolfsthalwrote in Politico."Trump wants the meeting as badly as ever, and will jump at the chance to reschedule if and when the time suits him."