Trump Leaves Future of North Korean Summit in Kim Jong-un's Hands
*By Alisha Haridasani*
Though President Trump abruptly canceled his planned meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, there's still a possibility the highly-anticipated summit could take place in the future, if the two sides can tamp down their antagonism and agree to a framework for denuclearization, analysts said.
In a [letter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/999686062082535424) Thursday to the North Korean leader, Trump said, “it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.” The summit was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore.
"The North Koreans have two choices: They can either choose to overreact and perhaps engage in a heated rhetorical exchange with President Trump in the future," said Lisa Collins, a fellow at the Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Or they can play it cool and engage with the Trump administration in back-channel communications."
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a crucial player in setting up the summit, was taken by surprise, describing the abrupt turn of events as “very regretful and disconcerting.”
Trump's letter was sent just hours after North Korea threatened to scuttle the meeting, and several antagonistic comments by Kim, which may have prompted the president to get ahead of the devolving diplomatic situation.
North Korea's threats were inspired, in part, by Vice President Mike Pence’s comments on Fox News on Monday where he warned that if the country doesn’t agree to denuclearization, it would meet the same fate as Libya.
Pence was referring to the case of the former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was captured and killed by rebels in 2011 during the Arab Spring. The country had given up its nuclear arsenal in 2003, and the United States helped rebel groups topple him eight years later.
The comments alarmed Kim, who has made clear he would not agree to any sort of regime changes.
“North Korea, on its own side, has referred to denuclearization as a process by which the U.S. first guarantees its security,” Collins said in an interview with Cheddar.
Trump’s letter was a mix of praise for Kim and forceful language. He thanked North Korea for releasing American hostages and reminded Kim that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is “so massive and powerful.”
Trump did, however, keep the door open for a future summit.
“There’s still room for them to agree to have a meeting in the future, it just depends on whether can narrow their difference,” Collins said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/trump-cancels-summit-with-north-korea).
The U.S. is back in negotiations for a nuclear deal with Iran, years after former President Donald Trump withdrew the country from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which had been meant to curtail the Middle Eastern nation's nuclear ambitions. Former State Department senior advisor to the George W. Bush and Trump administrations, Christian Whiton, joined Cheddar News Wrap to discuss. “It appears to be very similar to the original JCPOA, which does put some constraints on Iran's nuclear program, but also has sunset provisions, including some that in the original plan were expected to take effect in 2025," he said. "And so, if we just reenter that plan, really it just buys perhaps a few years of slowing down, stopping, whatever you want to say, Iran's nuclear program."
The U.S. has announced the first of what could be multiple levels of sanctions against Russia after Moscow recognized two regions of Ukraine as independent. This comes as Britain imposes sanctions on five Russian banks and two oligarchs, and Germany freezes the Nord Stream gas pipeline. Terrell Star, a foreign affairs reporter at The Atlantic Council, joins from Kyiv to discuss.
Growing tensions in Ukraine might soon be impacting consumers in the United States. With Russia on an invasion footing in the region, gas prices are predicted to go up 10 to 15 cents a gallon in the next coming weeks, according to Robert Sinclair, spokesperson for AAA. Sinclair joined Cheddar to break down what could happen even further. "We've been seeing prices go up, and there's been nothing that's happened to affect supplies," he said. "But it's something known as the fear tax where just the talk of something that might interfere with supplies leads to prices going up speculatively."
The end of 3G is upon us. On Tuesday, AT&T became the first major provider to disable its 3G services, and T-Mobile and Verizon plan to follow suit later this year. The shutdowns are expected to impact millions of vehicles that use 3G networks for updates, remote connection, and certain emergency and convenience features. Lance Ulanoff, the U.S. Editor-in-Chief of TechRadar, joined Cheddar's Closing Bell to discuss the ramifications of the changeover.
A new report shows nearly 240 former officials in Congress, the White House, and regulatory agencies have changed careers to work in the crypto industry.
President Biden unveiled new economic sanctions on Russia for what he called "the beginning of a Russian invasion". This came one day after Putin sent troops into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine. Alex Ward, national security reporter for POLITICO, explains what these sanctions might do to the global economy.
U.S. stocks ended today's session sharply lower on the heels of rising geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Melissa Brown, Managing Director of Applied Research at Qontigo, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the U.S. will begin to impose sanctions on Russia, calling recent troop movement into Ukraine an 'invasion.' Biden and other government officials including from the State Department have begun to classify the Russian troop movement as an invasion after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to two independent Ukrainian areas in an alleged "peacekeeping" mission — which the West considers an act of aggression. Biden said Russia will continue to pay 'an even steeper price' if it continues sending troops into Ukraine. What happens next? Will Putin find a way around these sanctions? Ariel Cohen, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, joins Closing Bell to discuss Biden's remarks, how the West will protect Ukraine since it doesn't belong to NATO, and more.
