The US says it's been caught off guard by the announcement from the DPRK that the scheduled summit between Kim Jong Un and President Trump may not take place - but remains hopeful the two sides can still come to the negotiating table. Yesterday, the DPRK said the summit may not happen, and said it would never give up its nuclear weapons in return for economic favours from the US. CGTN's Roee Ruttenberg has more.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump responded to media report that Pyongyang may cancel next month's historic summit between him and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un. But the American leader offered little insight into the new development. As he welcomed his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the White House for a morning meeting, several journalists yelled questions to Trump about the DPRK. That's not unusual. Trump responded in just a few words.

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "We haven't seen anything, we haven't heard anything. We'll see what happens."

Then, one reporter specifically asked if the president will still insist on denuclearization by the DPRK. Trump said: yes. The U.S. President, himself, has been behind a lot of the hype surrounding the summit. But on Wednesday, the White House played down any notion it was surprised by the DPRK's move.

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY "The President is very used to and ready for tough negotiations, and if they want to meet, we'll be ready, and if they don't, that's okay, too. And we'll continue with the campaign of maximum pressure if that's the case."

Indeed, it's that so-called maximum pressure campaign, the tough talk and tough sanctions that the White House believes is bringing the DPRK to the table in the first place. The plan now, they say: prepare for talks, but don't let up. Next week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is due to arrive in Washington. It'll be his third time meeting with Trump but his first since meeting the North's Kim Jong Un in April. Moon's visit will come just as the U.S. and ROK wrap up their spring drills - those joint military exercises that have angered Pyongyang.

ROEE RUTTENBERG WASHINGTON "The DPRK also said it was 'totally disappointed' by the reckless rhetoric coming out of the White House by Trump's new national security adviser John Bolton. Bolton has suggested that the so-called "Libya model" - in which the U.S. convinced Tripoli to abandon its clandestine nuclear program - could work on Pyongyang. Libya's leader, of course, was captured and hanged in 2011. Roee Ruttenberg, CGTN, in Washington."