(Bloomberg) — The U. S. may want to focus on disarming North Korea. Lately, though, there’s been more talk about relieving sanctions…
(Bloomberg) — The U. S. may want to focus on disarming North Korea. Lately, though, there’s been more talk about relieving sanctions on Kim Jong Un’s regime.
The latest sign came Wednesday after China said it had agreed with North Korea and Russia “it was time to start considering the adjustment” of United Nations sanctions. The same day, President Donald Trump tersely dismissed a suggestion by U. S. ally South Korea that it was reviewing the repeal of one unilateral package of economic restrictions against its neighbor.
“Well, they won’t do it without our approval,” Trump told White House reporters Wednesday. “They do nothing without our approval.”
The exchange highlighted a growing gap between Trump’s goals and those of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, especially after he sealed a series of reconciliation deals with his North Korean counterpart last month. As Moon and Kim push their governments closer, Trump has found himself increasingly alone in demands that North Korea must take more steps toward “denuclearization” before getting economic relief.
U. S. negotiators led by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo appear to have acknowledged the difficulty of trying to rapidly advance the vague agreement between Trump and Kim at their June summit to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Pompeo returned from meetings with Kim this week, claiming “significant progress,” but also added, “there are many steps along the way and we took one of them today.”
‘Growing Frustration’
There were other signs of daylight between the U. S. and its key security partners in Seoul.
