The Trump administration faces a “bumpy road” ahead as it works to negotiate a nuclear deal with North Korea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned Sunday during meetings with South Korean and Japanese officials in Singapore.
“We can anticipate, at best, a bumpy road to the negotiations,” Mattis explained at the beginning of discussions with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo and Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera.
He warned both countries that they must maintain a strong defensive posture as diplomats continue to work with the U.S. on the conditions for a nuclear agreement with Pyongyang. “In this moment, we are steadfastly committed to strengthening even further our defense cooperation as the best means for preserving the peace,” Mattis said.
Mattis’ visit to Singapore comes just over a week before President Trump is expected to arrive for his June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump told reporters last Friday that he is hopeful the introductory meeting with Kim will pave the way for denuclearization in the region, but that the U.S. has “hundreds of new sanctions ready to go” if talks fall through and the authoritarian regime reverts to insults and threats of nuclear war.
A separate delegation of U.S. officials also traveled to Singapore this week to make the appropriate preparations for the upcoming summit between Trump and Kim.
