The U.S. said North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons has come to a “dead end” and unless the hermit kingdom starts to denuclearize, negotiations are off the table.
“The president has made it clear that there can’t be negotiations under these current conditions,” U.S. national security adviser, H.R. McMaster said.
“We are applying maximum pressure to North Korea to convince Kim Jong Un that this is a dead end, this pursuit of nuclear weapons and an intercontinental ballistic missile, which poses a grave danger to the whole world,” he said.
McMaster said all previous negotiations have failed miserably, and the North must show signs of denuclearization before the U.S. will be open to talking.
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Tensions between North Korea and the U.S. came to new heights in recent months over the nation’s continued development of its nuclear and missile programs.
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So far, U.S.-led sanctions on North Korea and diplomatic isolation haven’t compelled Kim Jong Un’s government to stop its nuclear and missile tests or to seek negotiations.
On Nov. 29, North Korea launched another intercontinental ballistic missile over Japanese waters. The missile appeared to be significantly bigger than the one tested in July.
After the launch, McMaster told the BBC the potential for war is increasing every day, but armed conflict is not the only answer.
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“We’re not committed to a peaceful resolution — we’re committed to a resolution,” he told the BBC.
“We want the resolution to be peaceful, but as the president said, all options are on the table. We have to be prepared, if necessary, to compel the denuclearisation of North Korea without the co-operation of that regime.”
— With files from the Associated Press
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