The White House announced on Thursday that President Trump had accepted the invitation by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on talks that could lead to the denuclearization of the Hermit Kingdom. U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford were cautiously optimistic about the announcement.
“Tonight makes it clear that President Trump’s tough talk, campaign of maximum pressure and aggressive sanctions are working against North Korea. Kim Jong Un’s willingness to refrain from future missile and nuclear testing and come to the table to talk about denuclearization, even during the annual U.S.-South Korea military drills, is a tangible first step. The United States has always said that any talks with North Korea would have to include their complete, irreversible and verifiable denuclearization. I am pleased that both South Korea and Japan share that commitment and am hopeful that the talks reveal this outcome,” said Inhofe who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“The US wants a world safe for all families, including the people of North and South Korea. Currently the people of North Korea live under the oppressive reign of a dictator that has been determined to threaten the world with a nuclear weapon. I welcome any conversations that could lead to a path to denuclearization, but I am also acutely aware that North Korea has deceived the international community about its nuclear program in the past. We should maintain sanctions and tenaciously verify any ‘promise,’ but remain open to potential paths to denuclearization,” said Lankford who is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
