Donald Trump stressed that during talks with Kim Jong-un, they had failed to reach an agreement due to North Korean demands to lift sanctions.
READ MORE: US, N Korea Won't Solve Nuclear Issue Without Eastern Asian Countries — Scholar
"Basically, they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, but we couldn't do that….we had to walk away from it," Trump told reporters after summit talks were cut short in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.
"All sanctions will remain," Trump added. He also expressed hope that eventually the United States and North Korea would become friends, noting the economic potential of the country.
"I'd much rather do it right than do it fast," he added.
Responding to a question about whether the parties agreed to hold a third summit, Trump said, "No. Let's see what will happen. I did not give commitments."
US President Donald Trump, speaking at a press conference after his talks with Kim Jong-un, said that the North Korean leader had promised him that he wouldn't conduct any nuclear tests.
The United States will be able to carry out inspections to North Korea's nuclear sites easily and successfully, US president added.
US Closer to Reaching Agreement With the DPRK Than Before — Pompeo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking at press conference, said that the US had asked Kim Jong-un to do more, but he was not ready.
READ MORE: North Korea Wants to ‘Cement' Progress With US at Trump-Kim Summit
Mike Pompeo expressed hope that in the end it would be possible to achieve the denuclearisation of the DPRK.
"I'm still optimistic. I hope that the teams (of negotiators) will meet in the coming days and weeks… I hope that when we work in the coming days and weeks, we will make progress and ultimately achieve what the whole world wants — the denuclearisation of North Korea," Pompeo told reporters as the summit concluded.
The US is closer to reaching an agreement with the DPRK than before, Pompeo said.
The US-North Korea summit in the Vietnamese capital kicked off on Wednesday with a brief meeting and a social dinner between the two leaders.
The historic US-North Korea summit 2018 concluded with a four-point declaration that paved the way toward renewed bilateral relations and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
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