Trump BLASTED over 'Cold War thinking' for North Korea meeting without Russia or China
DONALD Trump has been slammed by China and Russia for not including them in a summit on the North Korea crisis, with critics accusing the US President of “Cold War thinking”.
GETTY
The US hopes to ramp up its pressure on Pyongyang with an international meeting tomorrow discussing the regime.
But it has not invited Kim Jong-un’s ally China or Russia to the Vancouver gathering of 20 foreign ministers.
Among the options being considered is a port ban for vessels that breach UN sanctions by trading oil with Pyongyang.
China, which has been accused of taking a soft line on its trading partner’s nuclear ambitions, has insisted the meeting is worthless because Beijing will not have a seat at the table.
Related articles
And Russia’s foreign ministry spokesman, Maria Zakharova, said: “We can only consider this idea as a revival of the Cold War approach and mentality, which is particularly inappropriate in light of the newly emerging trends towards a dialogue between the North and the South.”
Brian Hook, director of policy planning at the US state department, said they had been “in touch” with the two nations and would provide them with details afterwards.
The UN Security Council, which has already imposed a wide range of sanctions, last month approved new measures seeking to limit Pyongyang's access to refined petroleum products and crude oil.
But North Korean despot Kim Jong-un has shown little sign of bowing to pressure.
GETTY
A Canadian government source said some nations had less experience than others when it came to sanctions.
He said: "It is not insignificant to talk about how we can ensure an even application of those sanctions everywhere, not just by some of the larger or more developed countries.”
The international community wants to make sure that patchy implementation of the sanctions does not undermine efforts to force North Korea to the negotiating table, he claimed.
Although immediate fears of war have eased slightly after the first round of talks between the North and South for more than two years, tensions over Kim's missile tests remain high.
GETTY
In Tokyo, a government source said the world needed to "force North Korea to change its policy by maximising pressure through all available means, including through full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions and autonomous sanctions."
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who will be at the Vancouver meeting, said today the international community had to stand united.
He said: ”Sanctions are biting but we need to maintain diplomatic pressure on Kim Jong-un’s regime.”
