Trump-Kim Summit Ends Without Agreement

The summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in Vietnam has ended with no major breakthroughs, reports the Wall Street Journal. 

Trump and Kim ended their meeting abruptly on Thursday without signing a planned agreement. 

A joint dinner scheduled to follow the talks was also cancelled, reported the Yonhap news agency (Seoul).

The White House previously suggested that the leaders might sign an accord officially ending the Korean War. 

North Korea offered to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear complex, where experts believe the North enriches plutonium, in return for the lifting of most sanctions, Trump told reporters after the summit. 

The U.S. sought a more comprehensive deal that included other parts of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, including undeclared sites. 

It "was not appropriate" to sign an agreement without further commitments from Pyongyang, said Trump. 

The president said that he understands Kim's position better after the summit, while noting that the two sides have different understandings of the term "denuclearization," reported NPR News. 

Prior to the summit, Trump said that there was no rush to reach an agreement immediately as long as missile and nuclear tests do not resume. 

President Trump did not rule out resuming military exercises with South Korea but called the exercises expensive and criticized Seoul for not shouldering more of the costs, according to a transcript of the press conference cited by Vox (Washington, D.C.). 

No further meetings between the two leaders have been announced. Trump has asked South Korean President Moon Jae In to "actively" help mediate future talks with the North.