US President Donald Trump said the United States has «no time limit» in its negotiations with North Korea over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
On Tuesday, while clarifying remarks he made at the news conference, Trump also said there was «no time limit» on North Korea and that sanctions would remain in place.
«A major topic of discussion was North Korea and the need for it to remove its nuclear weapons. Russia has assured us of its support. President Putin said he agrees with me 100%, and they’ll do whatever they have to do to try and make it happen,» Trump said.
«Discussions are ongoing and they’re going very, very well. We have no rush for speed… We have no time limit. We have no speed limit. We have — we’re just going through the process. But the relationships are very good. President Putin is going to be involved in the sense that he is with us.»
Although the Trump administration formerly called for an immediate denuclearization of North Korea, Trump and administration officials in recent months have backed off that demand .
It has been almost six weeks since Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held an unprecedented summit in Singapore, the first-ever meeting between a sitting US president and North Korean leader.
The discussions resulted in a signed joint statement that committed both sides to establishing new relations and a path to peace on the Korean Peninsula. But critics said it only reiterated previous commitments and failed to lay out a timeline for denuclearization.
While Trump asserted that North Korea was «no longer a nuclear threat» upon his return from Singapore, North Korea has not publicly confirmed that it has dismantled any of its nuclear weapons or ballistic missile infrastructure since the June 12 meeting.
