Trump: Talks with N. Korea only under ‘right conditions’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday responded to an overture from North Korea for talks with the U.S., saying that will happen only “under the right conditions.”

Trump raised North Korea at an annual White House meeting with the nation’s governors after a North Korean envoy sent a message through South Korea on Sunday. The envoy said the North has “ample intentions” of holding talks with the U.S.

The White House said in response that it would take a wait-and-see approach. Trump followed up Monday.

“We want to talk only under the right conditions,” Trump said. The administration’s position is that North Korea must get rid of its nuclear and missile programs before any talks can take place.

The U.S. has applied a series of sanctions, including a fresh round on Friday, in what it says is a “maximum pressure campaign” to force North Korea to disarm.

The Trump administration says it’s open to talks with North Korea, primarily to explain how America will maintain its pressure on the country until it takes steps toward eliminating its nuclear weapons. U.S. officials differentiate talks from negotiations. For those to occur, they first want Pyongyang to accept that its nuclear program will be on the table.

Speaking to the governors, Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for bolstering his country’s sanctions against the North and warned that Russia is “behaving badly” on the issue of sanctions.

“Russia is sending in what China is taking out,” Trump said.