The United States Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday said he is unaware of any steps taken by North Korea towards dismantling its nuclear weapons programme since the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, The Guardian reported.
On June 12, Trump and Kim met in Singapore and signed a joint statement in which the US agreed to establish official diplomatic relations with North Korea while Kim affirmed his commitment to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula. This was the first meeting between the heads of government of the two countries.
On Wednesday, when reporters asked Mattis if North Korea has taken any steps to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme, the US official said, “No, I am not aware of that.”
Mattis further said: “The detailed negotiations have not begun. I wouldn’t expect that at this point.”
Soon after the meeting with Kim, Trump had said that a US delegation would have follow-up talks with North Korean officials. However, the meeting has not happened yet.
Earlier this week, the US, as promised, called off its plans to hold joint military drills with South Korea and several allies in the region in August.
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