Kim, Trump end second summit without deal in Hanoi

Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump ended their second summit without a deal in the Vietnamese capital on Thursday.

President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, in Hanoi. [Photo via AP/Evan Vucci]

"No agreement was reached" between Kim and Trump on the second day of their second summit in Hanoi, according to the White House. It added that the leaders of the two countries looked forward to meeting in the future.

Though the two leaders ended their meeting without any agreement, Kim and Trump had "very good and constructive meetings" and discussed various ways to "advance denuclearization and economic driven concepts," the statement from the White House said.

Kim and Trump were originally scheduled to attend a working lunch and a signing ceremony for a possible joint statement at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, but the events were cancelled for an unidentified reason.

Trump's press conference was brought forward by two hours to 2 p.m. local time (0700 GMT).

At the press conference, Trump said a gap remained between what the DPRK and the United States wanted.

Trump told reporters he and Kim each had certain visions that were not aligned but got "much closer" than a year ago.

"We have to walk ... There is a gap," Trump said.

Trump and Kim started the two-day summit Wednesday night with a brief one-on-one chat and a dinner and continued their discussions the following day on concrete ways for peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

After returning to the J.W. Marriott Hotel, Trump hinted at the press conference that talks between Pyongyang and Washington would continue though the two leaders failed to reach an agreement during their second meeting.

However, Trump noted that his next summit with Kim "might not be for a long time," hinting at a possible hiatus in the summit diplomacy.

Trump said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo felt during the meeting that it was "not a good thing" to sign off on anything, though they had some options on the negotiating table.

Following the one-on-one discussion between Kim and Trump with only translators being present earlier in the day, the two leaders had an extended meeting joined by their senior aides, including Pompeo.

"It wasn't appropriate to sign the agreement ... Actually, we already had paper today to sign," said Trump.

Trump said there was "a gap" in what the DPRK and the United States were pursuing. Kim demanded relief from sanctions against Pyongyang "in their entirety" in exchange for denuclearizing a "large portion" of the DPRK's nuclear program, something the United States could not agree to, according to Trump.

Despite the meeting that had resulted in no deal, Trump said he would "continue to work on that" with the DPRK leader to narrow the gap between the two countries.

Kim and Trump agreed at their Singapore summit in June to a lasting peace on and the complete denuclearization of the peninsula, as well as the start of new relations between their countries.

Pompeo told the press conference that the two sides made "even more progress" than at the Singapore summit, saying negotiators from the two sides would meet again "in the days and weeks ahead."

The top U.S. diplomat reiterated that it "will take time" to come to an agreement for the complete denuclearization of the peninsula. Trump also stressed that he was "in no rush," saying he wanted to make the "right deal."

Calling his relationship with the DPRK leader "very strong," Trump said he ended up becoming a "very good friend" of Kim.

The U.S. president said he would like to maintain relations with Kim, noting that he trusted Kim's promise not to conduct any nuclear and rocket tests.

Trump left Hanoi after the press conference. Kim is scheduled to stay here for two more days for his official goodwill visit to the Southeast Asian country.