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Expert comments on potential US-North Korea denuclearization deal and its conditions

Meanwhile, US officials say that the possibility of troop pullout from South Korea is not under consideration

WASHINGTON, February 22. /TASS/. Washington and Pyongyang are discussing a potential agreement of denuclearization in return for a withdrawal of US troops from South Korea, Ian Bremmer, the president and founder of the Eurasia Group global political risk research and consulting firm, told TASS.

"What I’m hearing is the potential for an agreement of denuclearization in return for the US removing troops from South Korea," he said in response to questions about a second meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which is expected to take place in Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi on February 27-28.

"Almost unimaginable to think about implementing that deal, but even the announcement would be an extraordinary change from US policy in the region today. I wouldn’t rule it out," Bremmer noted, adding that he had received that information from well-informed sources. However, in his words, "North Koreans wouldn’t actually follow through."

Meanwhile, US officials say that the possibility of a troop withdrawal from South Korea is not under consideration.

According to Bremmer, the US president "wants a big announcement on denuclearization, essentially a ‘deal’ that goes beyond the vague framework agreement that came from Singapore and didn’t denote anything concrete."

Singapore hosted a historic meeting between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump on June 12, 2018. The parties signed a joint document, in which Pyongyang committed to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula in return for US security guarantees.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, the US president said that he expected to hold more meetings with the North Korean leader after the Hanoi summit. He rejected allegations that Pyongyang was reluctant to denuclearize but reiterated that Washington would only be ready to ease sanctions on North Korea if the other side did something "meaningful."