WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States has yet to see if North Korea’s statement that it is ready to hold talks with Washington is a “first step” to removing nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula, and pressure on Pyongyang must continue in the meanwhile, the White House said in a statement Sunday.
“We will see if Pyongyang’s message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization. In the meantime, the United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are a dead end,” the statement read.
The White House stressed the existence of a broad agreement in the international community that denuclearization “must be the result of any dialogue with North Korea.”
“The maximum pressure campaign must continue until North Korea denuclearizes. As [US] President [Donald] Trump has said, there is a brighter path available for North Korea if it chooses denuclearization,” the statement noted.
The statement comes as a response to North Korea’s delegation’s remarks made at a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier in the day that Pyongyang was ready to hold talks with Washington.
On Friday, the United States imposed what Trump described as the “largest-ever” sanctions package on North Korea, targeting shipments of petroleum and coal. They would concern 27 transport companies, 28 ships and one person.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
