Tillerson softens U.S. stance on possible talks with N. Korea

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday softened the U.S. stance on possible talks with North Korea, calling it “unrealistic” to expect the country to come to the table ready to give up a weapons of mass destruction program that it invested so much in developing. Tillerson said his boss, President Donald Trump, endorses this position.

Tillerson’s remarks came two weeks after North Korea conducted a test with a missile that could potentially carry a nuclear warhead to the U.S. Eastern Seaboard — a milestone in its decades-long drive to pose an atomic threat to its American adversary that Trump has vowed to prevent, using military force if necessary.

“We are ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk. And we are ready to have the first meeting without preconditions,” Tillerson said at the Atlantic Council think tank.

Also Tuesday, Tillerson unveiled changes to the State Department that he said would help workers perform better and position the country to advance its interests overseas.

Tillerson conceded that there are deep concerns about his planned overhaul and that progress on key foreign policy priorities has been slow. As the first year of the Trump administration concludes, Tillerson has faced questions about his leadership as White House officials suggest he may soon be replaced.

“Do we have any wins to put on the board? No. That’s not the way this works,” Tillerson said. “Diplomacy is not that simple.”

Still, he said the Trump administration had made more progress than previous administrations in pressuring China over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and was working aggressively to use a flawed nuclear deal to hold Iran accountable.