Trump’s press conference lasted well over an hour. Here’s a summary of the key points:
Trump hailed his summit with Kim Jong-un as “very important event in world history” claiming Kim has given his “unwavering” commitment to denuclearisation. He claimed denuclearisation of North Korea’s “very substantial” nuclear arsenal could be achieved very quickly but gave few details or a specific timeframe. Denuclearisation “takes a long time scientifically”, Trump said.
International observers will be deployed to verify North Korea’s denuclearisation, Trump insisted despite the lack of a commitment to this in the agreement the two leaders signed. Trump said he looked forward to lifting sanctions once “nukes are no longer a factor”.
Trump agreed to stop US-South Korea war games. He said they were provocative, inappropriate and very expensive.
North Korea has already demonstrated its commitment to denuclearisation by destroying a missile engine site, Trump claimed. He also repeatedly praised North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Kim was praised for ushering in a “glorious new era of prosperity for his people”. Trump said he trusted Kim, got on with him, and said he was a “very talented” negotiator, but denied that he saw Kim as his equal. He claimed that a US video of the summit would not be used by Kim for propaganda purposes.
Kim will be invited the White House at the appropriate time, Trump said. The president also agreed to travel to Pyongyang at the appropriate time.
North Korea’s human rights record was discussed at length during the talks, Trump claimed. He said the 100,000 people in North Korean gulags would be among the big winners from the summit.
Source – The Guardian