North Korea and US begin fresh talks on stalled nuclear

US and North Korean officials have arrived in Sweden on Saturday to restart nuclear talks in the hope of breaking a stalemate between the two countries.

The last summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without agreement and since then, there has been little progress although both sides insisted they wanted to continue negotiations.

The talks are taking place on the island of Lidingo, northeast of Stockholm, where US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun and North Korea’s Kim Myong Gil are expected to meet.

The new talks come just days  after North Korea tested a new missile in a significant step up from earlier tests.

The missile, fired from a platform at sea, was capable of being launched from a submarine, which means North Korea could potentially launch missiles far outside its territory.

North Korea is banned from using ballistic missiles by UN Security Council resolutions, and is under US and UN sanctions for its nuclear programme.

But the resumption of talks comes at a crucial time according to BBC because Mr Trump is under mounting pressure at home, facing possible impeachment and falling support in many opinion polls.

The North Koreans are well aware of that. They also know that they stand a much better chance of getting a deal with Mr Trump than with any other US president.

“Both sides know that the clock is ticking, with Trump up for another presidential bid next year, and the domestic political turmoil Trump is in now,” analyst Minyoung Lee of NK News told the BBC.