It is a measure of the difficulty in negotiating with North Korea — and the prospects for eventual success — that Washington and Pyongyang cannot even agree on the proper characterization of their meeting in Stockholm last weekend. U.S. State Department officials called the first round of working-level talks in eight months a "good discussion," while their North Korean counterparts said the negotiations "broke down" and the lead diplomat pronounced himself "very displeased."
Ultimately, the differences may not matter: U.S. President Donald Trump remains committed to his relationship with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, regardless of progress — or lack thereof — in nuclear talks.
There have been no negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea since the February Hanoi summit between Trump and Kim ended early without an agreement. The two men met again, briefly, in June, when Kim took up Trump's invitation to join him at the Demilitarized Zone when the Trump visited after the Osaka Group of 20 summit. While that moment made history — Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to visit North Korea when he stepped across the line dividing the Korean Peninsula — it had no impact on the nuclear stalemate.