Biegun allies outside the administration praised his willingness to press forward on engagement in a difficult environment. “This is what good diplomacy looks like.”White House aides said there was no friction between Bolton and Biegun, but they declined to elaborate on their relationship. Trump, who initially demanded that North Korea give up its nuclear program quickly, has worked to lower public expectations since the Singapore summit. “We have big issues with North Korea on weapons of mass destruction, and that drove the sense of crisis . Though Biegun’s foreign policy expertise and background is in Russia, one former colleague recalled Rice bringing him into North Korea-related meetings.

Source: Washington Post February 20, 2019 22:39 UTC