Merkley: Trump-Kim summit a ‘colossal disappointment’

Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement regarding President Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un:

“There is no military solution to the crisis with North Korea, so it is important that the Administration continues to pursue diplomacy.

“The Singapore Summit, however, was a colossal disappointment. North Korean leader Kim secured a huge win just by standing on the world stage as a coequal with President Trump and by getting a concrete concession from the U.S. to end military exercises in South Korea.

“The U.S., however, got nothing in return. Not a schedule for a complete inventory of North Korea’s nuclear and missile stockpiles. Not a plan for eliminating these weapons. Not a commitment for verification.

“If a Democratic president had given up so much for so little, Republicans would be up in arms.

“Diplomacy is the right track, but it doesn’t mean getting taken to the cleaners and trusting the word of a ruthless dictator from a nation that has repeatedly violated past deals.”