Ohio lawmakers from both political parties praised the willingness of Trump and Kim to talk directly, but also sprinkled their reactions with words such as “skeptical” and remaining “vigilant” when dealing with Pyongyang and its nuclear weapons arsenal.
WASHINGTON Gov. John Kasich and Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles expressed alarm at President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to cancel planned military exercises between the United States and its South Korean allies
Trump, whose announcement Tuesday apparently caught South Korean officials and the U.S. military by surprise, made the pledge at a news conference after his historic summit in Singapore with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un, who said he was committed to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
Kasich, a Republican who is considering an independent run for the presidency in 2020, said the move “blindsided our principal ally in the region and some of our own military commanders.”
“Americans welcome the fact that President Trump has begun discussions with” with Kim, Kasich said. “But we must remain vigilant.”
Ryan, D-Niles, complained about the “compulsive assurance from” Trump to suspend the exercises, saying “this concession from Trump to North Korea is deeply concerning,” and adding Trump “would do well to remember who our friends really are.”
“Regrettably, it seems that we have nothing today to show for our efforts other than a toothless statement and the same promises that the North Korean regime has already given and broken many times over to previous presidents,” Ryan said.
Ohio lawmakers from both political parties praised the willingness of Trump and Kim to talk directly, but also sprinkled their reactions with words such as “skeptical” and remaining “vigilant” when dealing with Pyongyang and its nuclear weapons arsenal.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said he remains “skeptical but hopeful” the summit will “translate into meaningful progress” in convincing Pyongyang to eliminate its nuclear weapons program.
But Portman said “in the past, however, North Korea has used talks to stall while continuing its nuclear and missile programs, and empty promises cannot buy any more time.”
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said “we want these negotiations to succeed,” but warned “we’ve heard empty promises from the North Koreans before, so we must continue to hold them accountable with tough sanctions until we see proof the North Koreans are taking real steps to dismantle their nuclear weapons program.”
Kasich, Portman and Brown cited the tragic death of Otto Warmbier of Wyoming, Ohio, who died in Cincinnati last year shortly after being released by North Korea where had been held in prison for more than a year. Portman Tuesday described the Kim regime as “evil.”
Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington, called the summit “a positive step forward in the effort to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.”
Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, tweeted he was “cautiously optimistic that this summit was a step towards making the world safer. However, I continue to remain skeptical about Kim Jong-Un’s commitment to denuclearization.”
By contrast, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, was more upbeat, tweeting “congratulations” to Trump and adding “this is an important step towards greater peace and prosperity for the whole word.”
Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, said he was “hopeful that real progress was made in Singapore – the past does not have to dictate the future. And, I am heartened to see that President Trump will be keeping the strict sanctions in place on North Korea until the actions of Kim Jong-Un match his words.”
(Randy Ludlow of the Columbus Dispatch contributed to this story.)
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