 Hello and welcome to NewsClick. Today we are discussing the big international story. The talks between US and North Korea have concluded without any substantial conclusion coming out of those summit. So today to discuss this we have with us editor-in-chief of NewsClick Prabir Purkayashta. Thank you Prabir for joining us. So Prabir to begin with the first question comes out is that they were having these talks finally and they have concluded without any specific substantial gain for the international community as well and for those countries. So what do you make of this major development that has come in today? See without getting into the details of why they broke and what are the likely causes of such a calling off of the talks virtually. What we have to see is that A what continues is that North Korea is not going to do missile tests right now unless they withdraw from the previous agreement. The missile tests are suspended, nuclear tests are suspended. This is what North Korea has already agreed to earlier. What they were expecting as a part of the peace process was that a peace be declared or at least a path towards a formal peace. Let us not forget the Korean war is officially still on. What is there is only a temporary cessation of hostilities which of course has lasted pretty long but nevertheless there is no formal peace agreement. So North Korea wants that to happen. They want the regular military show that United States puts on with South Korean military essentially what are called military exercises carried out with live ammunition. So it is possible for them to invade North Korea at any point of time. So they want that to stop officially and they want a process by which the peace is declared in the Korean peninsula and then the question of denuclearization would follow. This was the one step one two three steps that were laid out in the earlier negotiations which took place in Singapore. So obviously Trump wants the denuclearization of North Korea to take place before he is willing to conclude the peace. Neither it appears that there was an agreement on any steps that both of them could take towards this goal. So at the moment if we follow what Trump is saying he has said we do not know whether it will meet soon or whether it will meet a long time later. But he has also said before the talks itself well the cessation of missile activities, missile tests itself is a big victory. So in that sense we have to understand that the earlier agreement between the United States and North Korea was in some sense an asymmetric one. The understanding is no military exercises but no guarantees thereof. But also understanding is Korea would not do any further missile tests or any further nuclear tests. These two things have also therefore got frozen somewhere. So we have to see what is going to take place next. What is North Korea's response to be with respect to what Trump has said because Trump has said well I really want what I wanted which is no missile testing. Now once I have done that I really don't have to consider any further. This could be also the United States tactical ploy, make certain concessions apparently, get your other side locked down to a certain position and then say that's it nothing further. So we have to see what happens and what is it that North Korea can do. And North Korea's basic attempt could be to reach a peace process, continue a peace process with South Korea. How much South Korea will have leeway in this we have to see. So this approach of the U.S. that you just mentioned that they've locked down some specific things and that's it for them. So it's raising a very important question which has come up in the talks as well which is of the sanctions. So that was it is being seen as the tipping point as well. So what happens there in that area? So again the issue of sanctions for the United States has been you first surrender, give up your missiles and nuclear weapons and then we lift the sanctions. Now knowing the United States it's record in any of this treaty negotiations particularly with Iran in front of them. This is unlikely to happen that the North Koreans would submit that they will dismantle their entire missile and nuclear weapon structure. In lieu of a future shall we say a bait that the United States will remove sanctions. So what is happening is that United States wants the concessions of North Korea to be front loaded and then whatever concessions they have to make will then be conditional upon North Korea making these concessions A and B. United States continuously saying you're not really fulfilling them and therefore we can't do anything. We don't have any obligations. So this is not a path down which today particularly after Iran any country is going to go down with the United States. So I think that idea of the United States that they will lift the sanctions after North Korea dismantles its nuclear and missile infrastructure is essentially arguing for a surrender. That means you have to declare yourself defeated surrender everything and then we will decide what obligations we would have or not have. Yes and you know on the question of this hope and again it ships attention to the fact that US has troops substantial amount of troops which are stationed in South Korea and you made a very interesting point in the beginning about what it means for the Korean peace process as well. So what would it mean for the troops and how will that play out in the entire scenario of the peace process. See I think that withdrawal of troops would have taken place if these negotiations had continued and as a result of a certain set of steps which North Korea would then also have undertaken. As I said if we are going to back load all the US obligations and front load all the North Korean obligations this is a no go and this is what appears that the US policy was. I don't think North Korea at the moment is so worried about US soldiers. What it is worried about is the so-called exercises which earlier United States do once or twice a year which means that if you are practicing these exercises with joint command essentially under US command and US strategic forces, air force participating in all of this then there is always a threat of invasion and let us not forget 20 percent of Korean North Korean population died in 1950 war the Korean war. So this is not something the Korean North Koreans have forgotten so they do worry about an invasion taking place again at the 38th parallel. So this whole idea that again as I said that US will not take out its troops, will not take out the strategic forces, will not stop exercises, will not stop sanctions while it expects unilateral concessions from the other side. This was again one of the things that is never going to happen. But I think the real issue for me now is if the United States is not a partner in the peace process does or can South Korea go down the route to peace with North Korea. Clearly these are the two most interested parties North Korea and South Korea and it is also true that the Korean people do see themselves as one people. So whether that can continue is to be the real question now. Okay and that will assume significant importance because we have no clarity on when there are going to be further engagements between US and North Korea. So on that note Prabir thank you for explaining the scenario to us and we hope our viewers found this breakdown very useful. Thank you for watching.