President Donald Trump's attempts to score a denuclearization treaty from North Korea fell flat after over a year of diplomatic talks.
The move comes after dictator Kim Jong Un promised a "gift" for the United States for Christmas, setting the public on edge. When nothing happened, however, Kim became the butt of jokes.
In an interview with Axios, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said that the administration has "reached out to the North Koreans" to reignite talks.
"We've reached out to the North Koreans and let them know that we would like to continue the negotiations in Stockholm that were last undertaken in early October," he said. "We've been letting them know, through various channels, that we would like to get those [negotiations] back on track and to implement Chairman Kim's commitment" to the denuclearization agreement.
Trump has long maintained he's the best dealmaker, but he's failed to craft an agreement on Chinese trade or denuclearization with North Korea. Still, Axios said that it appears the president is trying to play off of his "warm personal relationship" with Kim.
Kim "promised to send a Christmas present," O'Brien noted. "The president suggested he send him a vase. We didn't get a vase or any other sort of Christmas gift. That appears to be positive."
"All we know is we were told we were going to get a Christmas gift, and the Christmas gift didn't come. And so I think that was an encouraging sign. But, again, that doesn't mean we won't see some sort of test in the future," O'Brien continued.