Tulsi Gabbard throws cold water on Trump-Kim denuclearization talks

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) threw cold water on talks between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, saying the rogue state is unlikely to surrender its nuclear capacity.

“North Korea will look at Trump’s actions, not empty promises,” Gabbard, a 2020 presidential candidate, tweeted.

“We can’t expect Kim to believe that we won’t overthrow him if he gives up his nukes, when he sees us threaten to carry out regime-change war in Iran and Venezuela.”

North Korea will look at Trump’s actions, not empty promises. We can’t expect Kim to believe that we won’t overthrow him if he gives up his nukes, when he sees us threaten to carry out regime-change war in Iran and Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/GcDkjBMV3w

— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) February 26, 2019

Gabbard has staked out a position against military intervention and efforts to force political change in countries like Syria and Venezuela.

{mosads}Her comments come as Trump and Kim meet for a summit this week following a meeting in Singapore last June. The sit-down is widely expected to be a continuation of denuclearization talks concerning the Korean Peninsula.

The two men are expected to hold a first round of talks in Vietnam on Wednesday.

Top intelligence community leaders last month contradicted Trump’s claims about North Korea and its intent to denuclearize. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said intelligence officials did not believe North Korea will fully get rid of nuclear weapon stockpiles.

“We continue to assess that North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and production capabilities, even as it seeks to negotiate partial denuclearization steps to obtain key US and international concessions,” he said.

Nuclear experts and lawmakers have also been hesitant over the chances of a successful denuclearization deal at this week’s summit, given that progress since the first summit last June has been difficult to pinpoint.