WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement after President Trump accepted an invitation to meet with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un:

“Diplomacy is the right path forward to deal with North Korea. At the same time, due to Pyongyang’s history of obfuscation and international defiance, the United States must proceed with caution. I am deeply concerned that the White House has not laid the necessary diplomatic groundwork and coordination for direct talks with North Korea. Even President Trump’s own Secretary of State appeared to be taken aback by this announcement. President Trump’s record of cozying up to authoritarian governments, his consistent failure to appoint, empower or value the expertise of professional diplomats, and his overall lack of focus on critical details also give me pause. The Administration must go into any meeting with a plan to ensure that negotiations with Kim Jong-un produce real results, not a photo op that lends legitimacy to North Korea’s murderous regime.”

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