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"He [Kim Jong-un] has a certain vision and its not exactly our vision but it's a lot closer than it was a year ago and I think eventually we'll get there...," Trump stated.
The second summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un ended prematurely Thursday with no deal reached regarding the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
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"Frankly I think we'll end up being very good friends with Chairman Kim," the United States president said in a press conference after the tumultuous summit. "They have tremendous potential but it was about sanctions... they were willing to give us areas but not the ones we wanted," Trump added, explaining that the North Korean leader is willing to "de-nuke" the Yongbyon nuclear facility.
Both Trump and Kim had promptly returned to their respective Hanoi hotels, without successfully negotiating any suitable agreement or inking a deal, Reuters reported on the historic Vietnam-hosted summit.
"He [Kim Jong-un] has a certain vision and its not exactly our vision but it's a lot closer than it was a year ago and I think eventually we'll get there but for this particular visit we decided that we had to walk," Trump stated. "They [North Korea] wanted sanctions lifted in their entirety. We couldn't do that."
Washington had earlier confirmed that there was “no joint agreement was reached” between Trump and Kim, adding that “...their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future,” according to a statement from Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
Trump initially highlighted the "very special relationship" the White House has and will maintain with Kim and North Korea, during the face-to-face meeting before the summit.
"One of the things [Mr Kim] promised me last night is... he's not going to do testing," Trump said. "I want to keep the relationship, we'll see what happens over the next period of time."
Sanders disclosed that “the two leaders discussed various ways to advance denuclearization and economic driven concepts.”
In addition to the summit being cut short, a scheduled working lunch was also canceled.
Trump boarded Airforce One and left Vietnam shortly after the press conference, leaving Kim behind to wrap up an official two-day visit.
The U.S. president and Chairman Kim attended a historic first summit in Singapore last June, where both leaders pledged to work toward denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
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