President Donald Trump, after saying he was "disappointed" at reports that North Korea is rebuilding a missile test site, is open to more talks with the nation's leader, Chairman Kim Jong Un, and believes a deal can be reached after their talks in Hanoi ended without a denuclearization agreement, National Security Adviser John Bolton said Thursday.
"I think the North Koreans obviously would like to give up as little of their nuclear and biological and chemical weapons and ballistic missile programs as they could in exchange for very broad sanctions relief," Bolton told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "That's basically what they asked for. The president wasn't buying it. He said, look, we want the big deal that will give North Korea a bright future, but which results in complete denuclearization."
The negotiations process is still in its early stage, as Trump said on Wednesday, noted Bolton, and the United States has other intelligence information beyond the commercial imagery showing North Korea was rebuilding a long-range rocket site at the Sohae Launch Facility.
He said he does not think the United States is ready to say at this stage whether the rocket site is ready for use, and the situation will be studied carefully.
He also disagreed with reports that Kim had made a last-minute try to keep negotiators at the table after talks ended when the North Korean leader wanted complete sanctions relief in exchange for dismantling the country's main nuclear facility.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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