Donald Trump has cancelled the planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The US President made the announcement in a letter to Mr Kim, less than a month before the planned summit in Singapore.

President Trump wrote: "I was very much looking forward to being there with you.

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate at this time to have this long-planned meeting."

Image: White House

He added: "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

He also described it as a "missed opportunity" that is a "truly sad moment in history"

It comes after North Korea warned of a "nuclear showdown" and called US Vice President Mike Pence "ignorant" and "stupid" as it renewed its threat to pull out of the summit.

The North Korean regime appeared to be objecting to Mr Pence's suggestion the North may end up like Libya "if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal" and relinquish its nuclear weapons programme.

Libya's ex-leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in an uprising years after giving up atomic weapons in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

Both North Korea and the US had previously threatened to call off the summit, despite an apparent easing of diplomatic tensions in the wake of the historic summit between the North and South Korean leaders last month.

Today's letter came only hours after North Korea carried out the apparent demolition of its main nuclear testing facility, with international reporters among those watching.

Additional reporting by IRN