Meeting delay shows US frustration over stalled N. Korean talks

In canceling his top diplomat’s trip to North Korea next week, President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time that nuclear negotiations have hit a roadblock.

The surprise decision came a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo introduced a new U.S. special envoy to the North and announced they would both travel to Pyongyang.

“I have asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to go to North Korea, at this time, because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Trump wrote in a series of tweets on Friday.

Many experts, who had welcomed the appointment of a new envoy, criticized the cancellation as a step back that could further undermine efforts to get the stalled talks back on track.

Trump’s admission of a lack of progress came just over two months after the president declared the North Korean nuclear treat was over thanks to his historic summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Trump said diplomatic efforts had been hindered by a lack of support from the North’s main ally, China, blaming that on the growing trade dispute between Washington and Beijing.

“Secretary Pompeo looks forward to going to North Korea in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved,” he said. “In the meantime I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!”

Trump and Kim made history by holding the first-ever summit between their countries, which have been locked in conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty.

But critics warned the two sides remained far apart despite the summit agreement to “totally denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.”

Pompeo, who has traveled to Pyongyang three times since the diplomatic process started earlier this year, has been unable to nail down specific details and timelines.