U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday brushed aside Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un’s demand for Washington to show more flexibility in nuclear talks by year-end, with Pompeo saying Kim should keep his promise to give up his nuclear weapons before then.
Asked about Kim’s statement last week that he was only interested in meeting Trump again if the United States came with the right attitude, Pompeo told reporters that the president was “determined to move forward diplomatically.”
But Pompeo said Kim had made a commitment to denuclearize and “we collectively need to see that outcome move forward.”
“Our teams are working with the North Koreans (DPRK)…to chart a path forward so that we can get there. He said he wanted it done by the end of the year. I’d love to see that done sooner.”
Speaking at an event at Texas A&M University, Pompeo said he prays for the day sanctions can be lifted from the DPRK after the complete and verified dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program.
“I would love nothing more than to lift the sanctions on North Korea (DPRK). I truly would…Because it would mean we were successful. It would mean that North Korea (DPRK) no longer had a nuclear weapons program or a weapons of mass destruction program. It would mean we’d had the opportunity to verify that that was the case, so we knew we weren’t taking anyone’s word for that. It would be a glorious thing.”