Pompeo says Trump only wants North Korea summit this year if 'real progress' can be made

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo indicated that President Trump had little interest in holding a summit with North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

“The truth is President Trump only wants to engage in a summit if we believe there’s a sufficient likelihood that we can make real progress in achieving the outcomes that were set forth in Singapore,” Pompeo told The Hill in a virtual interview Wednesday.

Pompeo said that the U.S. is attempting to engage in “informed discussions” regarding denuclearization efforts and stability in the region.

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Former National Security advisor John Bolton alleged in his recent book that Trump may be planning an “October surprise” deal with North Korea.

The deal, which could include the U.S. loosening sanctions on North Korea in exchange for a path to denuclearization, was alledged to be used as a distraction to potentially negative election news, according the NBC News.

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The sister of Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea’s Supreme Leader, reportedly said last week that another summit could happen, noting that “a surprise thing may still happen” between Trump and Kim, according to a report by KCNA Watch.

Pompeo said Wednesday that North Korean officials are unwilling to engage in talks.

“The North Koreans have chosen at this point in time not to engage in a way that can lead to a potential solution,” Pompeo said. “We hope they’ll change their mind.”

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Pompeo said last week he was hopeful the talks would happen.

Trump and Kim first met in Singapore in 2018 to address denuclearization. But the talks stalled following a 2019 summit in Vietnam, and have yet to resume.

Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea said the Korean government did not have any intention to threaten the U.S., but she did not believe a summit between the two nations leaders would happen this year.

“Everything will go smoothly if they do not offend and provoke us,” Kim said.

“We would like to make it clear that it does not necessarily mean we will not join the denuclearization process, but we cannot at this point of time,” she added.

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“We’ve avoided having a long-range missile fired. We’ve avoided nuclear testing,” Pompeo said Wednesday.

“Now it’s time to get to the harder problems and secure a better outcome, not only for the security of the American people but for the people of North Korea as well,”