North Korea accuses US of ruining peaceful ‘atmosphere’ in region

North Korea has criticised the US for using “pressure and military threats” and for its “misleading” claims that sanctions pushed Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

An official at the country’s foreign ministry said that the suggestion that sanctions will not be lifted until it gives up nuclear weapons was a deliberate provocation, according to the state news service.

The spokesperson also said that claims that US actions had pushed North Korea towards negotiations were a “dangerous attempt” to disrupt its relationship with South Korea.

The official also warned the US not to interpret a “peace-loving intention” as a sign of weakness.

North Korea promised last month to dismantle its nuclear test sites, and an historic meeting took place between Kim Jong Un and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.

Donald Trump is due to meet Kim Jong Un in a few weeks, marking the first ever meeting between incumbent leaders of the two countries.

The two leaders, who had been routinely trading insults over the past year, have appeared to be on better terms in recent weeks. Trump said last month that a deal with North Korea is now “very much in the making”.

But US officials have also suggested it was their tough policy which pushed Kim to engage with diplomacy.

North Korea said that this was an attempt to ruin the “hard-won atmosphere” of peaceful talks in the region.

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