President Trump has cancelled the upcoming summit between the United States and the North Koreans in a new letter released on Thursday. Mr. Trump writes in the letter that he was “very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.”
He also told Kim in the letter, “You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.”
Read the letter here:
Trump letter to Kim Jong Un canceling June summit.
During remarks at the White House, Mr. Trump called the summit’s cancellation a “tremendous setback” for the North Koreans and the world alike. He held open the possibility that the cancelled summit might still take place at a later date.
He also suggested that the U.S. stands “ready if necessary” for any possible responses to the summit being called off, adding that he had spoken to officials in South Korea and Japan, where they communicated that they are ready should “foolish or reckless acts” be taken by North Korea in response to the summit’s cancellation.
He said that the countries are also “willing to shoulder much of the cost of any financial burden and the costs associated by the U.S. in operations if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us.”
“We are more ready than we have ever been before,” Mr. Trump said. When asked if calling off the meeting raised the risk of war, the president replied “Well, we’ll see what happens.”
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