US President Donald Trump undoubtedly hoped for a new meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his recent tour of Asia, but according to analysts, the North Korean leader, strengthened by his ties with Moscow and Beijing, had little reason to want to meet Trump, writes Agence France-Presse in an analytical article, BTA reported.
On several occasions during his tour of Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, Trump said that he was 100 percent open to the idea of meeting Kim and even went so far as to contradict decades of US policy by acknowledging that North Korea is, in a sense, a nuclear power. But Pyongyang did not respond to all this, preferring to test missiles and send its top diplomat to Russia and Belarus – two countries with which North Korea has strengthened its ties in recent years.
"The brutal reality is that Kim would have no interest or advantage in meeting Trump," said Seong Hyun-lee, an expert at Harvard University. He noted that Washington made a fundamental error in judgment in thinking that Kim would come to meet Trump.
Trump's indications that he wants to meet Kim are more of a victory for the North Korean leader, allowing him to significantly increase the credibility of his nuclear program, Lee said.
Trump and Kim last met in 2019 at Panmijong, on the inter-Korean border, after an invitation issued by Trump on Twitter at the time. But their differences over North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief have strained relations.
North Korea has since declared itself an irreversible nuclear power and strengthened ties with Moscow, providing Russia with military equipment for its war against Ukrainian forces, Agence France-Presse recalls.
Kim Jong-un is now in a "pretty comfortable position," says Su Kim, a former CIA analyst. "Russia's support is probably one of the most decisive factors in strengthening and consolidating North Korea's strategic position," the expert added.
On his return from South Korea after talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Trump said he had been too busy to meet with Kim during his Asian tour. He did not close the door on a future meeting between them.
According to Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, after the failure of the 2019 summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi, North Korea undoubtedly expects more specific proposals from Trump, such as formal diplomatic recognition and easing of sanctions without denuclearization.
According to analysts, now that Kim has forged close ties with Russia and China, he has no reason to seek Washington's approval. According to experts, North Korea receives a lot of financial aid, military technology and assistance in the fields of energy and food from Moscow. And trade with China reached its highest level in six years last month. This helps Pyongyang to break out of economic isolation and also bypass international sanctions.
Last month, Kim, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin attended a major military parade in Beijing. It was a demonstration of North Korea's new status on the international chessboard. Now Kim has no interest in exchanging this new status for posing for photos with Trump. He already has a position of power and has turned the rivalry between China and the United States into a long-term guarantee, summarizes Agence France-Presse, based on the opinions of analysts.