Trump Says North Korea Nuclear Deal Could Take Years

Trump: 'I got all the time in the world'

Speaking Wednesday at the UN Security Council, President Trump dismissed the idea of any timeline for the North Korea nuclear deal, saying “I got all the time in the world,” and doesn’t believe there to be any rush.

Trump suggested such a deal could take years, saying it could happen in “two years, three years, or five months.” He added that it was only his election in 2016 that prevented a nuclear war with North Korea.

The timeline question may matter more to North and South Korea, however, as the US has tried to condition the ending of the 1950 Korean War to the denuclearization having been completed first. North Korea is keen to start getting something in return for its diplomatic efforts, and peace is top of their list.

Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly downplayed the idea of a timeline for the process. This is clearly aimed to placate critics who say it is taking too long, but without any advance toward peace, it is unclear how long the US can keep forcing new concessions out of the North Koreans.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.