At the Singapore summit in June, President Donald Trump promised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he would sign a peace declaration officially ending the Korean War soon after their meeting. Now, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is demanding that the North Koreans hand over 60 to 70 percent of their nuclear warheads in the next six to eight months before they get the declaration.
Unsurprisingly, this has caused some tension.
According to a Wednesday Vox report, this discordance between Trump and Pompeo has stalled diplomatic efforts with North Korea, as Kim feels that he’s being yanked around and made to look foolish by the Americans reneging on their promises.
Trump recently cancelled Pompeo’s trip to North Korea reportedly due to an angry letter he received from Kim. The North Koreans see Trump as more pliable to their agenda.
Also causing snags is the resistance within the Trump administration to signing a peace declaration.
Per Vox, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and National Security Adviser John Bolton are against the move, worrying that the North Koreans would just lie about denuclearizing and would back out when they get what they want—a reason that Pompeo is pushing for denuclearization first—and that an official end to the war would let the North Koreans demand that all U.S. troops leave South Korea. The guards stationed there currently act as a buffer to dissuade the North Koreans from taking military action against their southern counterpart, lest they risk antagonizing the American military.
No wonder many of Trump’s business initiatives went bankrupt. His reputation as an excellent negotiator and entrepreneur is a total fraud. He is a total fraud.
Hey, Kim, how do you think we feel about being yanked around and made to look foolish by the Americans reneging on their promises?
He must be shocked to discover that other world leaders aren’t just like a defenseless carpet installer who he can stiff.
Problem - what if they only have four nukes? If they hand over three that’s 75%, but that’s too much. If they hand over two that’s 50%, but that’s not enough, but the third bowl of porridge was just right.
Wow. I knew Spanky was an idiot but I did not think his national security team were also. News flash guys. The Korean war functionally ended the year I was born and believe me that was a long time ago. If the Norks want a formal peace treaty after all these years then give them one. You can even make it a big deal and make a TV event out of it. At this point a peace treaty with them is meaningless and you do not have to remove American troops from the South just because they want you to. Take away their excuse to not get rid of their nukes and ICBMs and watch then squirm. What a bunch of dolts.