McConnell Statement on President’s Summit in Vietnam
‘The president has gone the extra mile to demonstrate his sincerity in wanting to resolve this issue. It was smart to bring Kim Jong Un to Singapore and Vietnam, to expose the North Korean delegation to the kind of economic prosperity that could be possible if he chooses a new path. High-level diplomacy can carry high-level risks, but the president is to be commended for walking away when it became clear insufficient progress had been made on de-nuclearization.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding President Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam:
“I’d like to begin with a few words on President Trump’s Hanoi summit with North Korea. The president should be commended for his personal commitment to persuading Kim Jong Un to pursue a different path. By January 2017, it was clear the prior administration’s so-called policy of ‘strategic patience’ had not worked. In retrospect, it was not very strategic to sit patiently while North Korea dramatically expanded its nuclear and missile capabilities.
“The Trump Administration moved quickly to adopt a policy of maximum pressure, rallying international partners to respond firmly to North Korean provocations. The president also demonstrated a willingness to engage the North Korean leader directly, breathing new life into our diplomacy to solve this seemingly intractable problem.
“The president has gone the extra mile to demonstrate his sincerity in wanting to resolve this issue. It was smart to bring Kim Jong Un to Singapore and Vietnam, to expose the North Korean delegation to the kind of economic prosperity that could be possible if he chooses a new path. High-level diplomacy can carry high-level risks, but the president is to be commended for walking away when it became clear insufficient progress had been made on de-nuclearization.
“Kim Jong Un now has a long train ride home, and he will have time to reflect on the future that is still within North Korea’s grasp. But the president has demonstrated that such a future must be accompanied by real de-nuclearization. Every country has a stake in North Korea’s de-nuclearization. I hope that China and other countries with influence over Kim Jong Un will do their part to urge him to return to the negotiating table and seize the opportunity to bring prosperity to the people of North Korea and peace and stability to the Korean peninsula, and to the region.”
Related Issues: National Security, North Korea
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