US President Donald Trump has effectively declared any potential negotiations with Pyongyang redundant, saying in a tweet that a diplomatic approach toward North Korea’s nuclear ambitions has never worked.
“Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid,” Trump said on Twitter, adding that it “hasn’t worked” and all “agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators.”
Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
…hasn’t worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
He went on to say that “only one thing will work,” without giving any details or explaining what particular approach he meant.
Trump’s latest new statements came just a week after he said in another tweet that US State Secretary Rex Tillerson was “wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,” referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
Tensions around the Korean Peninsula significantly escalated following the North’s nuclear and missile tests in early September. Amid the growing crisis, Kim and Trump and engaged in a bitter war of words, with each leader issuing threats against the other.
Following the North’s nuclear test in early September, Trump immediately branded the North a “rogue nation and a threat” and called on South Korea to understand that “talk of appeasement” with its neighbor “won’t work.”
The US leader then repeatedly said that “talking is not the answer” to the ongoing crisis, adding that “all options are on the table.”
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Speaking at the annual General Debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, Trump said that the US “will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,” if forced to defend itself and its allies.
Earlier, he said that the US was ready to use its “nuclear capabilities” to defend itself and its allies.
Trump has repeatedly referred Kim as “Little Rocket Man,” saying that the North Korean leadership “won’t be around much longer.”
The North Korean regime has also threatened to “annihilate” the US and turn it into “ashes” for initiating the latest round of sanctions. The government in Pyongyang has also threatened to “sink” Japan and “wipe out” South Korea.
On September 25, the North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho accused the US of “declaring war” on Pyongyang and said that North Korea now has “the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.”
Later, Kim Jong-un vowed to “tame” Trump “with fire.”
As Pyongyang and Washington are whipping up tensions, Moscow and Beijing are trying to ease them. Russia and China have called for the implementation of the “double freeze” initiative that envisages North Korea suspending its nuclear and missile program in exchange for the US and South Korea abandoning their military exercises in the region.
So far, the US has rejected this proposal.
