North Korea rejects U.S. goal to resume denuclearization talks, as Pyogyang and Moscow strengthen ties
Article content
In his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has bragged of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed hopes of restarting nuclear diplomacy between them. Their high-stakes diplomacy in 2018-19 unraveled due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea. Kim has since executed weapons tests to modernize and expand his nuclear arsenal.
Article content
Article content
Article content
In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo Jong said she doesn't deny the personal relationship between her brother and Trump 'is not bad.' But she said if their personal relations are to serve the purpose of North Korea's denuclearization, North Korea would view it as 'nothing but a mockery.'
Article content
Article content
She said it was worth considering that the year is 2025, not 2018 or 2019 — which was during Trump's first term — and any attempt to deny North Korea as a nuclear weapons state would be rejected.
Article content
'If the U.S. fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK- U.S. meeting will remain as a 'hope' of the U.S. side,' Kim Yo Jong said, referring to her country by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Article content
She said she was responding to reported comments by a U.S. official that Trump is open to talks on denuclearization. She likely was referring to a Saturday article by Yonhap news agency that cited an unidentified White House official as saying Trump 'remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea.'
Article content
Article content
Meanwhile, on Sunday a regular air link between Moscow and Pyogyang started, a move reflecting increasingly close ties between the two countries.
Article content
Article content
The first flight operated by Russian carrier Nordwind took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport carrying over 400 passengers. Russia's Transport Ministry said there will be one flight a month to meet demand.
Article content
North Korea has been slowly easing the curbs imposed during the pandemic and reopening its borders in phases. But the country hasn't said if it would fully resume international tourism.
Article content
Article content
Russia and North Korea have sharply expanded military and other ties in recent years, with Pyongyang supplying weapons and troops to back Russia's military action in Ukraine.
Article content
Experts have said previously that North Korea would only be interested in talks on a partial surrender of its nuclear capability in return for sanctions relief and other benefits, while retaining some of its nuclear weapons.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘They roll right over': Many Democrats call their party weak and ineffective, AP-NORC poll finds
Voters check in to cast ballots in the New Hampshire presidential primary at a polling site in Derry, N.H., Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) WASHINGTON — Many Democrats see their political party as 'weak' or 'ineffective,' according to a poll that finds considerable pessimism within Democratic ranks. Republicans are more complimentary of their party, although a small but significant share describe the GOP as 'greedy' or say it is generally 'bad.' The poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in July reveals warning signs for both major U.S. parties as the political focus shifts to elections in New Jersey and Virginia this fall and the midterm contests next year. Respondents were asked to share the first word or phrase that came to mind when they thought of the Republican and Democratic parties. Answers were then sorted into broad categories, including negative and positive attributes. Overall, U.S. adults held a dim view of both parties, with about four in 10 using negative attributes, including words such as 'dishonest' or 'stupid.' But nearly nine months after Republican Donald Trump won a second presidential term, Democrats appear to be harboring more resentment about the state of their party than do Republicans. Democrats were likelier to describe their own party negatively than Republicans. Republicans were about twice as likely to describe their own party positively. 'They're spineless,' Cathia Krehbiel, a 48-year-old Democrat from Indianola, Iowa, said of her party. She believes the party's response to the Trump administration has been 'scattershot.' 'I just feel like there's so much recently that's just going abhorrently wrong,' Krehbiel said. 'And they speak up a little bit and they roll right over.' Democrats speak out against their own party Overall, roughly one-third of Democrats described their party negatively in the open-ended question. About 15 per cent described it using words like 'weak,' or 'apathetic,' while an additional 10 per cent believe it is broadly 'ineffective' or 'disorganized.' Only about two in 10 Democrats described their party positively, with roughly one in 10 saying it is 'empathetic,' or 'inclusive.' An additional one in 10 used more general positive descriptors. It is unclear what impact the Democrats' angst may have on upcoming elections or the political debate in Washington, but no political organization wants to be plagued by internal divisions. Still, the Democrats' frustration appears to reflect their concern that party leaders are not doing enough to stop Trump's GOP, which controls Washington. There is little sign that such voters would abandon their party in favor of Trump's allies in upcoming elections, and the vast majority of Democrats described the GOP negatively. But disaffected Democrats might decide not to vote at all. That could undermine their party's push to reclaim at least one chamber of Congress in 2026. Jim Williams, a 78-year-old retiree from Harper Woods, Michigan said he typically supports Democrats, but he is 'disappointed' with the party and its murky message. He feels much worse about the Republican Party, which he said 'has lost it' under Trump's leadership. 'All he does is bully and call names. They've got no morals, no ethics. And the more they back him, the less I like them,' the self-described independent, said of Trump. What do Republicans say about their party? Republicans are about twice as likely as Democrats to describe their party positively, with many also using straightforward ideological descriptors like 'conservative.' About four in 10 Republicans used positive attributes to characterize the GOP, making general mentions of words such as 'patriotic' or 'hardworking,' or offering associations with the word 'freedom.' Samuel Washington, 65, of Chicago, said he typically votes Republican. Washington praised Trump's leadership, even while acknowledging that the president's policies on trade and spending might be creating short-term economic hardship. 'There's a lot of pain, but the pain is the result of 12 years of misuse and misguided leadership from the Democratic Party,' he said. 'I'm feeling really good about Republicans and the direction that they're going.' But views were not uniformly good. About two in 10 Republicans said something negative about the party, including phrases such as 'greedy,' 'for the rich' or 'corrupt.' Republican Dick Grayson, an 83-year-old veteran from Trade, Tennessee, said he is 'disappointed' by his party's fealty to Trump. Among other things, he pointed to the price tag of Trump's tax-and-spend package, which will add nearly $3.3 trillion to the nation's debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 'I've always been a Republican, but I'm disillusioned about both parties,' Grayson said. How Americans view the parties overall Among all Americans, the poll finds that the Republican Party is viewed slightly more negatively than the Democratic Party. The different is not large: 43 per cent used negative words to describe the Republicans, compared with 39 per cent for the Democrats. Much of the negativity is driven by the opposing party — and independents' distaste for both. Independents are much likelier to describe both parties with negative attributes rather than positive descriptors, though a significant share did not offer an opinion at all. Curtis Musser, a 60-year-old unaffiliated voter from Beverly Hills, Florida, said both parties have shifted too far toward the extreme for his liking. He said he is ready for a serious third party to emerge before the next presidential election, pointing to Elon Musk's new 'America Party,' which has been slow to launch. 'Maybe he would get us headed in the right direction,' the retired schoolteacher said. Peoples reported from New York. The AP-NORC poll of 1,437 adults was conducted July 10-14, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Steve Peoples, Linley Sanders And Hyojin Yoo, The Associated Press
Edmonton Journal
an hour ago
- Edmonton Journal
Gunter: Trudeau cost Canada a chance to get into global LNG game — Trump and U.S. are reaping the benefit
Article content Last Sunday, at President Donald Trump's golf resort in Scotland (a.k.a. King Donald's summer palace), Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union pledged European countries would buy US$750 billion (over $1 trillion Canadian) of U.S. energy – largely LNG – over the next three years in return for Trump promising to impose only 15% tariffs on the union's member states. Article content Article content Boy, those American and European trade negotiators must be dunces. Don't they know that three years ago, then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a special trip to Canada to ask our government to sell tens of billions in LNG to his country? Our economic genius of a prime minister, Justin Trudeau rejected Scholz's request because 'there is no business case' for selling LNG to Europe. Article content Article content Article content This past Thursday, the South Koreans made a similar deal with the U.S. — $100 billion (about $138 billion Canadian) in energy over four years, primarily LNG. Article content What's wrong with these countries? Can they not see that the greatest economic mind of the 21st Century, Justin Pierre James Trudeau, had decreed it was foolhardy to sign such agreements? Article content Article content The U.S. deals with the EU and Korea just for LNG are worth about $800 billion Canadian over the next four years. The rest of the sales are for oil and nuclear fuels. Article content Article content A good part of that market might have been Canada's had we not been ruled by a 'green' dreamweaver and eco-cultist who prevented this country from jumping into the world LNG market early in the game. Article content Now the Americans have sucked up a lot of the oxygen in the room, and it will be hard for Canada to get a foothold, even if current Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney gets off his duff and agrees to more pipelines and LNG ports. Article content Trudeau's thinking (which remains Carney's thinking until the current Liberal government does more than just talk a good game) cost Canada at least $400 billion in investment during the Trudeau decade, drove down our per capita income, dropped us out of the 25 richest countries in the world, distorted our housing market and drove up prices and unemployment.
Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Witkoff arrives in Gaza to address humanitarian crisis
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Israel this week to address the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. His visit comes as the death toll among Palestinians seeking food and aid continues to increase. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 injured in the past 24 hours while attempting to obtain aid. Among them, 54 people died in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing while waiting for food. Officials indicated that the numbers may rise, as many of the casualties were taken to hospitals that remain isolated and short of medical supplies. According to the White House, Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee inspected food distribution efforts in Gaza. Israel's military stated that Palestinians surrounded aid trucks and that its forces fired warning shots into the air, but denied causing injuries. An Israeli security official, speaking anonymously, said the gunfire that led to deaths came from within the crowd as people struggled over supplies. Incidents linked to food distribution continue to occur across the territory. In Zawaida, a city in central Gaza, aid was delivered by airdrop because border crossings remain closed. Crowds rushed to collect the packages, leading to clashes and injuries. Residents described their difficulties in accessing the limited aid. Eslam al-Telbany, displaced from Jabaliya, said she lost the food she had collected after being attacked in the crowd. Ahmed al-Khatib said his flour was stolen and that he broke a tooth during the incident. Another displaced woman, Rana Attia, said people preferred being notified by text message about collection points rather than chasing parcels dropped from aircraft. Humanitarian organizations continue to state that current aid levels are far below requirements. They estimate that 500 to 600 trucks per day are needed to cover basic needs. Israeli authorities reported that 270 trucks of aid entered Gaza, while airdrops delivered 32 pallets. Israel has recently announced measures intended to facilitate more international aid deliveries, under pressure from the global community. International agencies have warned that Gaza has been at risk of famine for years, and that the recent blockade has created conditions where famine is now taking place. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also arrived in Israel for a two-day visit that includes meetings in the West Bank. Germany has traditionally been a close ally of Israel, but has recently pressed Israel to expand aid access and support a ceasefire. In a statement before his trip, Wadephul reiterated Germany's support for a two-state solution, saying that recognition of a Palestinian state should follow a process that "must begin now." Witkoff also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss humanitarian issues and the possibility of a truce. It was their first meeting since Israel and the U.S. withdrew their teams from negotiations in Qatar last week. Witkoff previously said that Hamas had shown little interest in reaching an agreement. President Trump commented on the situation through his Truth Social platform, writing that "the fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!" White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff was sent to the region "to save lives and end this crisis," and described Trump as motivated by humanitarian concerns. The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out an attack in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Approximately 50 hostages remain in captivity, with around 20 believed to be alive. Israel's military response has resulted in more than 60,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but the United Nations and international aid groups treat its casualty figures as the most consistent available source. The humanitarian situation remains critical, with food shortages, difficulties in aid distribution, and ongoing political disagreements complicating efforts to ease conditions in Gaza.
