North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a number of statements about the continuation of talks with Washington. The politician stressed that he intends to wait until the end of this year, while the US administration decides to change its approach to the dialogue.

Until the end of this term, Kim Jong Un is ready “to wait patiently for a bold decision of the United States.” However, if Washington will adhere to the current course, then it is not necessary to count on progress, explained Kim Jong-un. Theses of his speech published by the Central Telegraph Agency of Korea (TsTAK).

The failure of negotiations at the summit in Hanoi did not affect the personal relations of the leaders of the DPRK and the United States, said Kim Jong-un. He also stressed that he is ready to meet again with the American president in the event that the United States can work out a solution acceptable to both sides and take the “right position”.

  • Launch of the Hwason-14 intercontinental ballistic missile, North Korea
  • © KCNA / via REUTERS

“I will not hesitate to sign the agreement, only if it is written in such a way as to meet the interests of the DPRK and the United States, will be fair and mutually acceptable. And it will depend entirely on what position the United States will adhere to, ”Kim Jong-un of TASS quotes.

In addition, the top leader of the DPRK explained why the previous round of negotiations ended unsuccessfully: Pyongyang then expressed readiness for "more serious and reliable" measures and counted on US counter-measures. However, this did not happen - the American side put forward impracticable demands, Kim Jong-un stressed. This caused great doubts about the sincerity of Washington’s intentions to improve relations with Pyongyang, the North Korean leader added.

Donald Trump has already responded to the statements of Kim Jong-un. The head of the White House agrees that the relations between the leaders are not only very good, but perhaps even “excellent.” Trump wrote on Twitter about the readiness to hold another summit with Kim Jong-un - this will allow politicians to fully understand each other’s positions. At the same time, the words of the North Korean leader that the US needs to adjust the approach to the negotiations, Trump did not comment.

"Time works in the USA"

Information about the readiness of Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump to meet again did not become a sensation - that the third summit should be held, a few days ago, the head of the State Department, Mike Pompeo. The intrigue lies in the proposals with which the parties will come to negotiations this time, experts say.

Recall that the meeting of the North Korean and American leaders, held in late February, was not crowned with success. Politicians even interrupted the dialogue ahead of schedule, without signing the final agreement.

Commenting on the actions of politicians, the State Department announced the reluctance of the American side to make gradual reciprocal concessions in negotiations with Pyongyang. Although it is precisely this model of negotiations that Washington has been urging Moscow and Beijing to follow - according to many observers, North Korea deserves reciprocal steps, because the country has fulfilled earlier promises and stopped missile and nuclear tests.

“In our administration, no one advocates a phased approach. It is expected that full denuclearization will be carried out, considered as a precondition for all other actions, ”the US Department of State said.

  • Mike Pompeo
  • Reuters
  • © Yuri Gripas

By denuclearizing, American diplomats imply the dismantling of all weapons-grade uranium and plutonium production facilities, all warheads and fissile materials, and the complete destruction of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In turn, the DPRK is convinced that the United States incorrectly assesses the importance of the steps of the North Korean side, already taken for denuclearization. Pyongyang has repeatedly stated that the US administration should adjust its approach if Washington is counting on the continuation of negotiations.

Experts call this position of the Asian state logical. Indeed, in the case of the simultaneous elimination of the entire nuclear arsenal, Pyongyang will not only have guarantees of the lifting of sanctions, but also security guarantees. Also, analysts draw attention to the fact that the dialogue with the DPRK in the United States started talking only after the appearance of a full-fledged nuclear arsenal in the North Korean army.

In addition, one cannot ignore the fact that the destruction of nuclear warheads takes time, and this cannot be done quickly. As the special assistant for unification, diplomacy and security of the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jeong Ying said earlier, it will take about ten years to eliminate the North Korean arsenal.

According to DPRK Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Son-hee, distrust and hostility in the talks between the two leaders were made by Pompeo and Trump's national security adviser John Bolton. In turn, the head of the White House said that he was ready to show flexibility, but in practice no concessions were made.

Washington explains the failure of the signing of the final document by the fact that the North Korean leadership allegedly demanded that all sanctions be lifted. In Pyongyang, another version was presented, according to which it was only a partial lifting of the restrictions imposed by the UN Security Council in 2016.

Despite the obvious need to continue the dialogue, experts doubt that Washington will indeed make any concessions.

“Sanctions are beginning to have an increasing impact on the North Korean economy. This will not lead to the achievement of the goals of the Americans, but can create serious friction inside the DPRK. Therefore, Washington believes that the time is working for the United States, ”said Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kunming University in Seoul, in an interview with RT.

True, this logic has a serious flaw, added Lankov. The fact is that the DPRK leadership will not go first to the surrender of nuclear weapons and the dangerous, in the opinion of Pyongyang, conditions, even if famine begins in the country.

“Preserving the current order, our own statehood is a priority task for the North Korean authorities,” the expert believes.

" Trump is able to compromise "

Against the background of Pyongyang’s readiness to end negotiations, Donald Trump announced that he allegedly ordered not to introduce a new package of sanctions against North Korea, which, he said, had already prepared and announced the US Treasury.

“Today, the US Treasury Department announced that additional large-scale sanctions will be added to those already existing in relation to the DPRK. Today I ordered to lift these additional sanctions, ”he wrote on Twitter.

Interestingly, the agency has not announced new measures against the DPRK. The press service of the White House, too, could not explain exactly what restrictions the president said.

  • Inter-Korean Industrial Complex Kaesong
  • Reuters
  • © Kim Hong-Ji

According to experts, Trump tried to show that he is able to show flexibility, but his statement is of an exclusively media nature, while in practice the head of the White House does not at all encourage the relaxation of restrictions against the DPRK. On April 11, Trump said that the United States opposes Kaeson industrial complex to resume its work. “I will have a lot of support in due time. But now is not the time for this, ”Trump stressed.

Recall, industrial industrial park in Kesong was created in the early 2000s by joint efforts of Seoul and Pyongyang, it is located in North Korean territory. By 2012, more than 50 thousand jobs were created on the basis of the technopark, mainly for residents of the DPRK. But in 2013 his work was suspended due to the escalation of tensions between the two countries.

According to experts, Kim Jong-un, as well as Donald Trump, makes such statements in the calculation to tilt the situation to his side.

“Undoubtedly, Kim Jong-un's statement about readiness to wait until the end of this year is an ultimatum,” says Andrey Lankov. - However, we must bear in mind that not all ultimatums are fulfilled. It is rather part of a political game. Kim Jong-un is threatening to resume a nuclear program if the United States does not make concessions, but what will it give to North Korea? "

The expert believes that holding a new summit still makes sense, despite the tensions between the parties.

“Trump is still able to compromise. It is possible that they will manage to agree on partial disarmament and the lifting of sanctions, but this takes a lot of time - it may take several rounds of negotiations, ”Lankov said.

In addition, political analysts note that the upcoming 2020 presidential election in the United States is a serious argument for speeding up negotiations. As explained by the head of the Center for Korean Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Zhebin, there is a big risk that the guarantees and agreements concluded with the current administration will be crossed out by the new head of the White House, if Trump cannot be re-elected.

“The DPRK already has a similar negative experience: George Bush Jr., who had noticeably progressed under Bill Clinton, turned 180 degrees, including the DPRK in the“ axis of evil. ” And if the Democrats win the presidential elections in the United States, the situation may change dramatically. Pyongyang understands this well, ”explained Zhebin in an interview with RT.

The expert agrees that it is beneficial for the parties to continue the dialogue: despite the fact that no documents were signed at the previous meeting, there is no reason to believe that the relations between the United States and the DPRK are deadlocked. The countries have mutual interests, so the chances of progress in the negotiations remain.

“At this stage, Trump and Kim Jong-un chose to close the doors for negotiations for a while, but not to lock them,” Zhebin said.