America will make no concessions to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his talks with President Donald Trump over the reclusive nation’s nuclear programme, CIA Director Mike Pompeo has said and insisted that Pyongyang was buckling under the pressure of US-led international sanctions.
Amid suggestions the US president is entering the potentially risky talks without properly considering the potential consequences, Pompeo said Trump understood the dangers.
Pompeo’s remarks came days after Trump agreed to accept an invitation from the North Korean leader to meet by May after months of escalating tensions over Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear and missile programmes.
“Never before have we had the North Koreans in a position where their economy was at such risk, and where their leadership was under such pressure that they would begin conversations on the terms that Kim Jong Un has conceded to,” Pompeo told Fox News.
“Make no mistake: while these negotiations are going on, there will be no concessions made,” he said.
“This first meeting is between Trump and the leader of North Korea, the two people who are the decision-makers, who will ultimately decide what arrangements are acceptable,” Pompeo said.