Tillerson to press ‘maximum pressure’ on North Korea at UN briefing

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will seek to rally United Nations Security Council members on Friday to put pressure on North Korea, according to a State Department spokeswoman.

Tillerson is set to participate in a Security Council Ministerial Briefing regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program on Friday, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement Wednesday. The top diplomat will reaffirm the Trump administration’s push for “maximum pressure” on Pyongyang to give up its weapons programs.

The scheduled meeting comes on the heels of an apparent discrepancy within the Trump administration over its position on North Korea.

Tillerson said in remarks at the Atlantic Council on Tuesday that the U.S was prepared to open up talks with North Korea “without precondition,” and that the reclusive country’s nuclear program did not have to be on the table during an initial meeting.

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The White House quickly distanced itself from Tillerson’s comments. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s posture toward North Korea had not changed.