US PRESIDENT Trump announced he has agreed to suspend ‘war games’ with South Korea in return for a commitment to the ‘complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula’.
Speaking at a press conference in Singapore after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time, Trump said: ‘The sanctions will come off when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor.
‘I hope it’s going to be soon. But they’ll come off – as you know and as I have said, the sanctions right now remain but at a certain point I actually look forward to taking them off and they’ll come off when we know we’re down the road where it’s not going to happen, nothing is going to happen.’
Trump called Kim Jong-un ‘A worthy negotiator… a very worthy, very smart negotiator. We had a terrific day and we learned a lot about each other and our countries.’ He announced: ‘We have done war exercises with a long period of time working with South Korea and we call them war games.
‘… They’re tremendously expensive. The amount of money that we spend on that is incredible. And South Korea contributes, but not 100 per cent, which is certainly a subject that we have to talk to them about …’
In response to a question regarding the value of the agreement he signed with President Kim, Trump answered by implying he has his sights set on dealing with Iran. He said: ‘I have been given a tough hand. I was given this and the Iran deal and other problems. We are doing really well. The Iran deal, I have to be honest, I did it because nuclear is always number one to me. Nuclear is number one.’
He then claimed that his failure to honour the nuclear agreement had modified Tehran’s foreign policy. On the Iran deal, I think Iran is a different country now,’ he said. ‘I don’t think they are looking as much to the Mediterranean and so much at Syria like they were with total confidence. I don’t think they are so confident right now.
‘I hope with that being said, I hope at the appropriate time after the sanctions kick in, and they are brutal, on what we put on Iran. I hope they come back and negotiate a real deal. Right now it is too soon for that.’