Tillerson’s deputy, John Sullivan, tries to lower the temperature as North Korea warns of nuclear war
Tokyo/New York — The US is not ruling out the eventual possibility of direct talks with North Korea, Deputy Secretary of State John J Sullivan said on Tuesday, hours after Pyongyang warned nuclear war might break out at any moment. Talks between the adversaries have long been urged by China in particular, but Washington and its ally Japan have been reluctant to sit down at the table while Pyongyang continues to pursue a goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US. "Eventually, we don’t rule out the possibility of course of direct talks," Sullivan said in Tokyo after talks with his Japanese counterpart. "Our focus is on diplomacy to solve this problem that is presented by the DPRK. We must, however, with our allies, Japan and South Korea and elsewhere, be prepared for the worst should diplomacy fail," he said. Tension has soared following a series of weapons tests by North Korea and a string of increasingly bellicose exchanges between US President Donald Tru...
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