Not All Smiles

Houston errr Pyongyang, we have a problem.

Just after the first high-level meetings of representatives from the United States and North Korea since the summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, seems the North Koreans are grumpy.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after two days of meetings with his North Korean counterparts called the meetings productive as he prepared to leave to meet with Japanese officials to update them.

The North Koreans had a different take. Via the Washington Post…..

Just hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departed North Korea after two days of nuclear negotiations, North Korea sharply criticized the U.S. team’s attitude as “regrettable,” and accused the U.S. of making unilateral demands of denuclearization.

The remarks from North Korea’s foreign ministry directly contradicted statements made by Pompeo that the visit made “progress on almost all of the central issues” and involved “good-faith negotiations.”

The Foreign Ministry statement, issued by an unnamed spokesman, said the U.S. violated the spirit of the June 12 Singapore summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un.

The mixed messages followed a visit in which Pompeo did not meet with the North Korean leader while in the country and did not secure a breakthrough in forging a shared understanding of denuclearization.

This is not surprising given the way that the North Korean regime has acted since it’s inception. The North Koreans will want to try and keep some nukes while getting the relief of sanctions and are hoping that Trump will eventually cut that deal.

I don’t see how Secretary of State Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton would ever advise the President to go along with that. The South Koreans and the Japanese would never get a good night sleep with the unstable regime in the North having the bomb.

Hopefully, President Trump is willing to walk away like he did BEFORE the summit in Singapore and in the press conference after. Seems to have worked in the leadup and if need be will hopefully let Kim Jung-un know that the United States is serious about him de nuking.  They won’t get any money or sanction relief until they take steps to this end.

Someone break out the Rocketman song, we are not through with it yet or twitter diplomacy!