Kim Jong-un accuses Trump of acting ‘in bad faith’ over nuclear talks with situation now at ‘critical point’
![North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has accused the US of acting in “bad faith” at his latest summit with Donald Trump, saying the situation on the Korean Peninsula is now at a “critical point”.Mr Kim returned to Pyongyang on Friday after a first meeting with Vladimir Putin, with the pair having spent more than three hours together on Thursday in the far-eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.According to a report from North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), released before Mr Kim boarded his armoured train to return to Pyongyang, Mr Kim told the Russian president “that the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the region is now at a standstill, and has reached a critical point where it may return to its original state".He added that this was because “the US took a unilateral attitude in bad faith at the recent second DPRK-US summit talks” which took place in Hanoi two months ago.Mr Kim also told the Russian president that “peace and security on the Korean Peninsula will entirely depend on the US' future attitude, and the DPRK [the acronym for North Korea’s formal name] will guard itself for every possible situation".Mr Putin, who has intimated he would be interested in playing a bigger role in helping to break what has become a new stand-off with Washington, is said to have accepted an invitation to visit North Korea at a “convenient time". KCNA also claimed that Mr Putin had credited Mr Kim’s diplomatic moves with both the US and South Korea for stabilising the situation on the peninsula.However, no specific proposals have been released from either Pyongyang or Moscow, suggesting there has been no significant shift in Mr Kim’s position that Pyongyang needs nuclear weapons to protect its national security.Mr Putin has said that Mr Kim is willing to give up its nuclear programme but not without ironclad security guarantees and a multi-national agreement. That is the position Mr Kim has laid out to Mr Trump during his two summits, one in Singapore last year and the other in Vietnam in February.While Mr Trump and Mr Kim spent a significant proportion of last year praising each other's diplomatic efforts – a contrast to the nuclear-tinged threats the pair traded in 2017 – the last few months have been characterised by a significant cooling of relations.While Mr Trump has said he could welcome input from Moscow, it would complicate matters given that Mr Putin has frequently been critical of the international sanctions being used to keep Pyongyang in check.Part of the reason for Mr Kim’s visit to Russia was to ask for financial support or a pact to work around the sanctions. More than 10,000 North Korean workers are set to have to leave Russia by the end of the year under a UN framework, damaging a significant source of income for Pyongyang.The Kremlin intends to brief the US on the contents of the summit – which ended with Mr Kim leaving more than four hours earlier than anticipated with no reason given – soon. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA Novosti news agency they were just waiting for the Russian delegation to return to Moscow.Mr Putin left before Mr Kim, heading for a two-day meeting with Beijing, where he said he would also update China on the summit](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZKCFz_9Wq_4kyP7nch9zYQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY2Mw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_independent_635/640cf62e8f35fbf4ea65916a628c2fc4)
![North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has accused the US of acting in “bad faith” at his latest summit with Donald Trump, saying the situation on the Korean Peninsula is now at a “critical point”.Mr Kim returned to Pyongyang on Friday after a first meeting with Vladimir Putin, with the pair having spent more than three hours together on Thursday in the far-eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.According to a report from North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), released before Mr Kim boarded his armoured train to return to Pyongyang, Mr Kim told the Russian president “that the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the region is now at a standstill, and has reached a critical point where it may return to its original state".He added that this was because “the US took a unilateral attitude in bad faith at the recent second DPRK-US summit talks” which took place in Hanoi two months ago.Mr Kim also told the Russian president that “peace and security on the Korean Peninsula will entirely depend on the US' future attitude, and the DPRK [the acronym for North Korea’s formal name] will guard itself for every possible situation".Mr Putin, who has intimated he would be interested in playing a bigger role in helping to break what has become a new stand-off with Washington, is said to have accepted an invitation to visit North Korea at a “convenient time". KCNA also claimed that Mr Putin had credited Mr Kim’s diplomatic moves with both the US and South Korea for stabilising the situation on the peninsula.However, no specific proposals have been released from either Pyongyang or Moscow, suggesting there has been no significant shift in Mr Kim’s position that Pyongyang needs nuclear weapons to protect its national security.Mr Putin has said that Mr Kim is willing to give up its nuclear programme but not without ironclad security guarantees and a multi-national agreement. That is the position Mr Kim has laid out to Mr Trump during his two summits, one in Singapore last year and the other in Vietnam in February.While Mr Trump and Mr Kim spent a significant proportion of last year praising each other's diplomatic efforts – a contrast to the nuclear-tinged threats the pair traded in 2017 – the last few months have been characterised by a significant cooling of relations.While Mr Trump has said he could welcome input from Moscow, it would complicate matters given that Mr Putin has frequently been critical of the international sanctions being used to keep Pyongyang in check.Part of the reason for Mr Kim’s visit to Russia was to ask for financial support or a pact to work around the sanctions. More than 10,000 North Korean workers are set to have to leave Russia by the end of the year under a UN framework, damaging a significant source of income for Pyongyang.The Kremlin intends to brief the US on the contents of the summit – which ended with Mr Kim leaving more than four hours earlier than anticipated with no reason given – soon. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA Novosti news agency they were just waiting for the Russian delegation to return to Moscow.Mr Putin left before Mr Kim, heading for a two-day meeting with Beijing, where he said he would also update China on the summit](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rc.t5EeoLJb8zn7Nd5.pHA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcyMA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_independent_635/dd08763a995e67fdc554bb9654dc7359)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has accused the US of acting in “bad faith” at his latest summit with Donald Trump, saying the situation on the Korean Peninsula is now at a “critical point”.
Mr Kim returned to Pyongyang on Friday after a first meeting with Vladimir Putin, with the pair having spent more than three hours together on Thursday in the far-eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.
According to a report from North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), released before Mr Kim boarded his armoured train to return to Pyongyang, Mr Kim told the Russian president “that the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the region is now at a standstill, and has reached a critical point where it may return to its original state".
He added that this was because “the US took a unilateral attitude in bad faith at the recent second DPRK-US summit talks” which took place in Hanoi two months ago.
Mr Kim also told the Russian president that “peace and security on the Korean Peninsula will entirely depend on the US' future attitude, and the DPRK [the acronym for North Korea’s formal name] will guard itself for every possible situation".
Mr Putin, who has intimated he would be interested in playing a bigger role in helping to break what has become a new stand-off with Washington, is said to have accepted an invitation to visit North Korea at a “convenient time". KCNA also claimed that Mr Putin had credited Mr Kim’s diplomatic moves with both the US and South Korea for stabilising the situation on the peninsula.
However, no specific proposals have been released from either Pyongyang or Moscow, suggesting there has been no significant shift in Mr Kim’s position that Pyongyang needs nuclear weapons to protect its national security.
Mr Putin has said that Mr Kim is willing to give up its nuclear programme but not without ironclad security guarantees and a multi-national agreement. That is the position Mr Kim has laid out to Mr Trump during his two summits, one in Singapore last year and the other in Vietnam in February.
While Mr Trump and Mr Kim spent a significant proportion of last year praising each other's diplomatic efforts – a contrast to the nuclear-tinged threats the pair traded in 2017 – the last few months have been characterised by a significant cooling of relations.
While Mr Trump has said he could welcome input from Moscow, it would complicate matters given that Mr Putin has frequently been critical of the international sanctions being used to keep Pyongyang in check.
Part of the reason for Mr Kim’s visit to Russia was to ask for financial support or a pact to work around the sanctions. More than 10,000 North Korean workers are set to have to leave Russia by the end of the year under a UN framework, damaging a significant source of income for Pyongyang.
The Kremlin intends to brief the US on the contents of the summit – which ended with Mr Kim leaving more than four hours earlier than anticipated with no reason given – soon. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA Novosti news agency they were just waiting for the Russian delegation to return to Moscow.
Mr Putin left before Mr Kim, heading for a two-day meeting with Beijing, where he said he would also update China on the summit
