The Guardian points out that Donald Trump’s meeting was all about grabbing plaudits for his over-sized ego rather than a serious effort to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula.
It also argues that the US’s lack of preparation and clarity on goals and how to approach them made prospects of progress still poorer.
Mr Trump lays the blame on the North for the cancelation, citing Pyongyang’s “tremendous anger and open hostility”, however the paper says that in truth responsibility lies with Mr Trump and those around him as North Korea has been consistent. Not so the US.
And yet, Mr Trump has left the door open for future talks. However, the paper indicates that calling off the summit will make it harder than ever to bridge the gulf – as will doing so hours after the North blew up tunnels at a nuclear test site, albeit that that was a symbolic not substantial measure.
The Guardian says the Singapore meeting could have gone badly awry due to the US’s lack of preparation and clarity on goals and its approach. Hence, the real problem is not that the summit is off, but that it was ever scheduled with so little thought and care.
