Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said another summit between President Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un is unlikely to happen this year.
“The truth is President Trump only wants to engage in a summit if we believe there’s a sufficient likelihood that we can make real progress in achieving the outcomes that were set forth in Singapore,” Pompeo told The Hill in a virtual interview Wednesday.
But Pompeo said the US is attempting to hold “informed discussions” with Kim’s regime over denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.
“But you need to have a willing partner,” he said. “And the North Koreans have chosen at this point in time not to engage in a way that can lead to a potential solution. We hope they’ll change their mind.”
The US’ top diplomat said the US and other countries in the region want stability.
“We’ve avoided having a long-range missile fired. We’ve avoided nuclear testing. Now it’s time to get to the harder problems and secure a better outcome, not only for the security of the American people but for the people of North Korea as well,” he said.
The two leaders first met for a summit in Singapore in 2018, but talks broke down after their 2019 meeting in Vietnam and have not resumed.