US President Donald Trump hailed on Tuesday "many good conversations" with North Korea as US officials seek to reach an agreement with Pyongyang over a denuclearization plan following last month’s summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump tweets Tuesday that "All of Asia is thrilled" that North Korea has halted missile testing and only the "Opposition Party" Democrats, including the "Fake News" is complaining.
Trump also claims: "If not for me, we would now be at War with North Korea!"
Trump's June nuclear summit with Kim yielded no specifics on how North Korea would achieve denuclearization.
The White House has characterized ongoing meetings as positive but not commented on recent news reports of US intelligence assessments saying North Korea has been expanding its weapons capabilities.
Yet, experts say there is no proof North Korea's halt of nuclear and missile tests means the North will take concrete steps to give up such weapons. They also say the US has an unrealistic and risky approach to North Korea's denuclearization.
The rapid timeline proposed by national security adviser John Bolton contrasts with more measured, methodical strategies that most North Korea experts insist are needed to produce a lasting denuclearization agreement.
On Monday, the White House said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would travel to North Korea this week to continue talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
A US delegation met over the weekend with North Korean counterparts at the border between North and South Korea to discuss the next steps to implementing the June 12 summit’s declaration, according to the US State Department.
“Many good conversations with North Korea-it is going well!” Trump said in his Twitter post, echoing his sentiments following the historic meeting with Kim in Singapore.
