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Speaking on BBC News, the American professor argued diplomacy remains the best card to play for Donald Trump with North Korea, after the American President cancelled the June 2018 summit with Kim Jong-un.

Mr Burns added it would be best for the US Secretary of State to conduct future negotiations with the North Korean leader in order to de-escalate tensions between the two nations.

He said: “In situations like this diplomacy sometimes works best when you say little in public when your communications - the most sensitive ones - are in private.

“You’re not trying to embarrass the other side, you’re actually trying to get them to the table and to negotiate.

“I think our Secretary of State is probably now best to step in here and take the lead for the United States, I hope he’ll do so.