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U.S. Delegation Disputes Claims That Nuclear Talks With North Korea Broke Down

The U.S. State Department says talks in Sweden were “good discussions” even though North Korea says they “broke down.”

Delegations from North Korea and the United States who met for more than eight hours in a secluded Swedish enclave did not agree on the outcome. The U.S. State Department called the talks meant to end a stalemate on North Koreas denuclearization “good discussions” they hoped to build in in coming weeks, according to the Associated Press. But the North Korean delegation, led by Kim Myong Gil, said the talks had “not fulfilled our expectations and broke down,” adding he was “very displeased about it.”

In comments outside the North Korean Embassy in Stockholm, negotiator Kim blamed the U.S. delegation, saying they came to the table with an “empty hand,” and that the U.S. “has not discarded its old stance and attitude.” The U.S. State Dept. spokesperson Morgan Ortagus instead said the North Korea comments do “not reflect the content or the spirit” of the “good discussions.”