UPDATE 1-Trump: didn't discuss military drills in meetings with North Korea's Kim

President Donald Trump on Monday shot down the idea that he discussed curbing joint military drills with South Korea with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a decision he said could save the United States millions of dollars and has suggested would reduce tensions with North Korea.

"The military drills, or war games as I call them, were never even discussed in my mtg w/ Kim Jong Un of NK," Trump tweeted days after he met with Kim in Vietnam in an attempt to reach a denuclearization agreement. The Pentagon and the South Korean military confirmed on Saturday they were ending large-scale joint spring exercises. U.S. officials have long said the spring exercises, known as Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, would be reduced in scope as the countries embraced smaller-scale drills.

Last week, the summit between Trump and Kim was cut short after they failed to reach a deal on how far to grant sanctions relief in exchange for steps North Korea could take toward giving up its nuclear program. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Friday his country would continue to work with both the United States and North Korea to reach a deal. The United States and South Korea have suspended a number of military exercises since the first summit last year between Kim and Trump to encourage talks with North Korea. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Meredith Mazzilli)