US will make no concessions to North Korea: Pompeo
US President Donald Trump will make no concession to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their upcoming meeting because Washington has put Pyongyang in a weak position, CIA Director Mike Pompeo says.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Pompeo said several rounds of severe economic sanctions by the US and the United Nations had given Washington the upper hand in the ongoing talks between officials from both countries.
"Never before have we had the North Koreans in a position where their economy was at such risk, where their leadership was under such pressure," he said.
"Make no mistake: while these negotiations are going on, there will be no concessions made," the spymaster added.
Pyongyang and Washington have long been engaged in a standoff over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Trump and Kim stunned observers last week after agreeing to discuss their differences.
"I think they want to make peace. I think it's time," Trump said Saturday while addressing a crowd of supporters at a political rally in the US state of Pennsylvania. "And I think we've shown great strength. I think that's also important."
"The promise is they wouldn't be shooting off missiles in the meantime, and they're looking to denuke. So that'd be great," he continued.
While Trump is optimistic that the talks will lead to complete denuclearization of Pyongyang, critics inside and outside his administration warn that there is no diplomatic solution to the years-long standoff and he needs to keep the pressure until the North gives in.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, said she was worried that Trump “would be taken advantage of” in the talks.
Republican Senator Jeff Flake, another Trump critic, said he was skeptical that Kim would abandon his nuclear weapons.
"I don't think anybody really believes that North Korea is prepared to denuclearize," he said.
Other analysts have suggested that the failure of the talks would leave the two sides with few options short of military confrontation.
“The president isn't doing this for theater, he is going there to solve a problem,” Pompeo said.
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