Investing.com - U.S. President Donald Trump described his meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un as “honest, direct and productive” after North Korea pledged to work towards complete denuclearization.
“We are ready to start a new history, to begin a new chapter between our nations,” Trump stated in a press conference on Tuesday following the signing of an agreement between the two nations.
The deal signed by both leaders highlighted four major points which included their commitment to establish new relations “in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity”.
The U.S. and North Korea agreed to “join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula”.
North Korea has further promised “to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”.
Finally, both parties will commit to “recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified”.
Trump did insist that the U.S. would maintain sanctions until “nukes are no longer a factor” and that denuclearization would take a long time.
However, the President noted that, outside the agreement, Kim had already begun destroying a missile testing facility.
When questioned about Kim’s commitment to follow through on the deal, Trump was adamant about his belief that North Korea will comply.
According to Trump, the North Korean leader reaffirmed “his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”.
“He was very firm in the fact that he wants to do this -- I think he might want to do this as much or even more than me,” Trump reiterated later.
The President also affirmed that he does “trust” Kim and talked of plans for an eventual visit to Pyongyang.
“That will be a day that I very much look forward to at the appropriate time," Trump said.
Trump further noted that he had invited Kim had accepted an invitation to the White House, clarifying that the visit would have to take place “at the appropriate time, a little bit further down the road”.