President Trump holds press conference, praising Vietnam
The press conference was held at the Marriott Hotel two hours earlier than planned, as the US-North Korea summit failed to reach any agreement.
End of press conference
President Trump concluded a nearly hour-long press conference at the Marriott hotel. He will head to the airport to return to Washington.
Image:Giang Huy
Trump does not want to increase sanctions on North Korea
"I don't want to talk about increasing sanctions," Trump said. The US president said that for the sake of the people living in North Korea, he didn't want to talk about it.
- Criticism of previous administrations
"That should have been done under previous presidents. I'm not just criticizing the Obama administration, I'm criticizing many other administrations," President Trump said, referring to the failure of the US and North Korea to reach any agreement in the past.
Want to meet the North Korean President soon
When asked when he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again, President Trump replied: "Maybe soon, not too long. I hope it will happen soon."
Kim Jong-un unaware of death of US student Otto Warmbier
"I do think bad things happened to Otto Warmbier, but I don't think the leadership of North Korea knew about it. I don't think Chairman Kim would allow that to happen. North Korean prisons are very harsh, but I don't think their leadership knew about it," President Trump said.
Reporters asked whether President Trump asked Chairman Kim about Warmbier's death.
"I mentioned that issue. Kim Jong-un only learned about Warmbier's death after the fact. He affirmed that he did not know about it and I believe Chairman Kim," the White House owner replied.
No plans for next summit yet
The US President said he and Chairman Kim Jong-un have not committed to holding another summit.
Image:AFP
Trump will call South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after boarding the plane. The White House chief praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "great leader" who has been "tremendously helpful" on border issues. "Could he be more helpful? Absolutely," Trump said.
President Trump said Chairman Kim promised him that "weapons testing will not take place, especially missile testing or anything having to do with nuclear."
The White House chief praised China for helping to facilitate the discussions, stressing that Beijing has much more influence than people think. The US president noted that Chairman Kim is a "strong man" who never takes orders from anyone.
US does not give in to demands from North Korea
President Trump answers reporters' questions. Photo:AFP.
President Trump said Chairman Kim was willing to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility, but wanted all sanctions lifted first, something the US President did not want to do.
Secretary of State Pompeo later said that even if the Yongbyon facility was dismantled, North Korea still had many other nuclear facilities and arsenals, making it impossible for President Trump to reach an agreement with Chairman Kim.
'Need to give up nuclear weapons'
A South Korean reporter asked the US President what specifically he and Chairman Kim discussed regarding denuclearization.
"People say it a lot, but for me it has to be: You need to be willing to give up your nuclear weapons," the US president then mentioned North Korea's potential.
Do it better than do it fast
Asked whether the summit was too rushed, President Trump replied: "I could sign something today, but it's better to do it right than to do it fast."
No one left in anger.
President Trump said his discussions with Chairman Kim were "friendly" and that no one left in anger. "We still love each other, we have a good relationship," he said.
Image:Giang Huy
The reporter asked if it was President Trump who made the decision to end the discussion with Chairman Kim Jong-un?
"I don't want to say it was my decision, because what would be the purpose of doing that?", the US President replied. "But we will still maintain the relationship."
Trump then turned to his past accomplishments, talking about the return of American prisoners in North Korea and Kim's promise not to conduct further nuclear tests. "I believe him and I believe him," the US president stressed.
Understanding North Korea
When asked by reporters how he could bridge the gap in views between the US and North Korea on denuclearization, the US President replied that it would take time but "we know this country very well."
US and North Korea's visions of denuclearization are moving closer together
"He has a certain vision, not exactly the same as our vision, but much closer than a year ago," the US President replied to a reporter's question about Chairman Kim Jong-un's vision of denuclearization.
US says North Korea 'not ready' to meet demands
Secretary of State Pompeo said at a press conference. Photo:White House.
"We didn't get anything meaningful for the United States. I think Chairman Kim was hoping that we could come to an agreement. We asked him to do more, but Chairman Kim wasn't ready to do that. But I'm still very optimistic," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a press conference.
He said the talks would take time. "We will continue to work to make progress and achieve the goal that the world wants, which is the denuclearization of North Korea and the reduction of the threat to the American people and the world," Pompeo added.
Reasons for failure to reach agreement
President Trump said the disagreement over sanctions was the reason his summit with Chairman Kim Jong-un did not go as expected. "North Korea wanted the United States to lift all sanctions and we were not willing to do that," he said. "We had to get off this particular issue."
After Trump spoke, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the stage to provide details. “We’ve made real progress… in the last 24-36 hours,” he said, but added that the two sides were “far from the end of the road.”
Pompeo said he remained optimistic that the US and North Korean teams could continue to meet in the coming weeks.
Mr. Trump praised Mr. Kim
"We had a very constructive time. Chairman Kim is a very interesting person, our relationship is very strong. However, sometimes you have to go slowly," President Trump said of the summit with the North Korean leader, affirming that the two sides agreed that "signing an agreement was not really appropriate".
Thank you Vietnam
President Trump began the press conference with news about US foreign policies, praising Vietnam's economic development, and thanking Vietnam for its hospitality.
Trump mentioned the recent tensions between India and Pakistan and expressed hope that the tense situation will end soon.
President Trump begins press conference
President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo present at the podium. Photo:Vietnamese English.
Image:White House
Press awaits
About 200 reporters are at the Marriott Hotel awaiting a scheduled press conference by the US delegation. All are focused on reporting on the unexpected developments at the summit.
Image:Giang Huy
South Korean official: 'We are as confused as the rest of the world'
After the White House announced that the Trump-Kim summit ended without an agreement, a South Korean official said the country was "as confused as the world right now," according toCNN.
"The whole world has been waiting for a deal and so have we," he said.
South Korean stock markets fell sharply after news of the Trump-Kim summit failing to produce a joint statement was released.
President Trump returns to hotel
Transporting President Trump to the Marriott hotel. Photo:Pham Du.
President Trump's motorcade stopped at the Marriott hotel where he is staying. Mr. Trump may be at the airport to return home a few hours earlier than expected.
Urgent press conference
The press conference was held by the US delegation at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon at the Marriott Hotel, two hours earlier than scheduled. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that the negotiations between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un at the second US-North Korea summit today did not reach any common agreement.
She added that President Trump and North Korean leader Kim "had very good and constructive meetings in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27-28," affirming that "the working teams will meet in the future."
This is considered a surprising development because after their private meeting this morning, the US and North Korean leaders both affirmed that they had a good discussion and expressed confidence in a good outcome.