Trump wrongly claims North Korea has agreed to ‘denuclearisation’

North Korea had said it would suspend nuclear tests but stopped short of suggesting it had any intention of abandoning its nuclear arsenal.

world Updated: Apr 22, 2018 22:33 IST

Trump also tweeted saying there was a ‘long way’ to go with North Korea.(Reuters File Photo)

President Donald Trump is wrongly claiming North Korea has agreed to “denuclearisation” before his potential meeting with Kim Jong Un.

North Korea said Friday it would suspend nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches before summits with the US and South Korea. Kim also said a nuclear test site would be closed and “dismantled.”

The North stopped short of suggesting it has any intention of abandoning its nuclear arsenal. But Trump tweeted Sunday that the North has “agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, & no more testing!”

Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Fake News NBC just stated that we have given up so much in our negotiations with North Korea, and they have given up nothing. Wow, we haven’t given up anything & they have agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, & no more testing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2018

....We are a long way from conclusion on North Korea, maybe things will work out, and maybe they won’t - only time will tell....But the work I am doing now should have been done a long time ago!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2018

South Korea’s president has said Kim isn’t asking for the withdrawal of US troops from the Korean Peninsula as a condition for abandoning his nuclear weapons. If true, it would seem to remove a major sticking point to a potential disarmament deal.