Trump rejects idea of talks with North Korea

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

True to form, President Donald Trump sowed policy confusion with a tweet.

Declaring Wednesday that “talking is not the answer” on North Korea, Trump’s message appeared to clash with efforts by his Cabinet members to safeguard the possibility of a diplomatic solution as Kim Jong Un’s military races toward mastering a nuclear-tipped missile that can reach America.

The president’s morning tweet came a day after a highly provocative North Korean missile test that flew over Japan, a close American ally, potentially endangering civilians on the ground. On Wednesday, Kim called for more weapons launches in the Pacific.

“The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!” Trump tweeted.

The statement raised fresh uncertainty about the Trump administration’s strategy for North Korea. How the U.S. plans address the North’s growing nuclear capabilities is of increasing urgency not just in Northeast Asia, but also in the United States.

Last month, the isolated, communist country tested for the first time a missile that could potentially strike the U.S. mainland.

Trump didn’t spell out what he meant by “extortion,” but he appeared to be referring to the $1.3 billion the U.S. has provided in aid to North Korea since 1995. Most of that has been food and fuel.