SOURCE:
THE DAILY MAILURL:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5735797/White-House-ready-walk-away-North-Korea-summit.htmlby Francesca Chambers
The White House says remains optimistic that a sit-down will take place between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, despite a flare-up in hostilities over joint military exercises the U.S. and South Korea are conducting.
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Wednesday morning that North Korean outrage was par for the course and the U.S. was moving ahead with preparations for a June 12 summit in Singapore.
'We're ready to meet, and if that happens that's great. And if it doesn't, we'll see what happens. We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path,' she said moments before on Fox & Friends. 'If it doesn't, we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's ongoing.'
A senior White House official likewise told DailyMail.com that North Korea's jockeying wasn't unexpected.
'The president said he wants to have the meeting,' the official said. 'But if we don't, he'll continue the ongoing maximum pressure campaign.'
North Korea's government said yesterday that it was considering calling off a planned nuclear summit between its dictator and Trump through state-run news agency KCNA.
Kim's regime warned that ongoing 'Max Thunder' joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea could be a 'rehearsal for invasion' of the North.
'The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities,' KCNA said.
The White House made no immediate moves to slow down preparations for the summit on Tuesday.
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