World leaders react to Kim-Trump summit

Russia says it is ready to help implement a deal but Iran warns Pyongyang that the US will renege on deal.

Reactions are pouring in after the historic summit between North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

In a joint declaration on Tuesday, the United States committed to providing security guarantees to its old enemy while North Korea “commits to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”. 

The countries also committed to pursuing better bilateral relations. The two have been bitter rivals since the end of fighting in the Korean War in 1953, which divided the Korean Peninsula.

Washington has been South Korea’s biggest ally and arms supplier since, and continues to operate bases in the country.

The reaction from Seoul was one of uncertainty, especially over remarks made by the US president during the summit in which he said he would put an end to joint military exercises with the South Koreans.

“At this point, we need to find out the precise meaning or intentions of President Trump’s remarks,” a spokesman for the South Korean presidential office said.

Here’s how others reacted:

Russia

Russia’s Foreign Ministry praised Trump’s move to end war games with South Korea, saying it was necessary to stop provocative actions to ease tensions on the peninsula.

It also said that it was willing to help implement the deal and work towards denuclearisation of the peninsula.

“Of course the devil is in the detail, and we have yet to delve into specifics. But the impulse, as far as we understand, has been given,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Japan

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed the agreement as a “first step” towards denuclearisation but said more needed to be done.

“I want to hear the details by phone (from Trump). I will continue aiming to resolve concerns such as the abduction, nuclear and missile issues,” Abe said.

China

China, North Korea’s biggest ally, has responded to the meeting between the two leaders with the suggestion that sanctions against Pyongyang could be lifted.

“The UN Security Council resolutions that have been passed say that if North Korea respects and acts in accordance with the resolutions, then sanction measures can be adjusted, including to pause or remove the relevant sanctions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing.

Iran

Tehran urged North Korea to proceed with caution after its recent experience with its own nuclear deal with the US.

Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement, which was signed in 2015, in May.

Bahram Ghasemi, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said the North Koreans should enter into talks with “awareness”.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an ally of Trump, linked the Singapore summit to the US president’s recent decision to unilaterally withdraw from a multinational nuclear deal with Iran.

“This is an important step in the effort to strip the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weaponry,” Netanyahu said of Trump’s meeting with Kim.

“President Trump is also taking a firm stance against Iran’s attempt to obtain nuclear weaponry, as well as its belligerence in the Middle East.”

United Nations

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, called on the international community to offer support on carrying out the agreement on steps towards denuclearisation between the United States and North Korea.

“Implementing today’s and previous agreements reached, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, will require patience and support from the global community,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies