(CNN) The United States and South Korea are expected to announce in the coming days that annual military exercises between the two nations are to be scaled back, according to a US defense official.

The large-scale military exercises, known as Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, had been scheduled for this spring. Now, according to the official, the US and South Korea will instead conduct scaled down exercises at a small unit level that could involve virtual training.

Defense officials say they can achieve the necessary training goals through the pared down exercises.

The announcement is expected to come shortly, following President Donald Trump's decision to walk away from negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam. It can be seen as a good faith gesture of Washington's intent to continue engagement with Pyongyang, analysts said, but also as a way of reducing the possibility of incidents that escalate out of control.

The US has already suspended several larger military exercises as part of an effort to ease tensions with North Korea following the last year's Singapore summit between the two leaders.

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