[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, just a few hours ago, President 
Trump, Secretary of State Pompeo, National Security Advisor Bolton, and 
the rest of the American delegation concluded their summit meeting with 
North Korean officials.
  This was a historic first step in an important negotiation. In the 
words of the joint statement agreed to by the United States and North 
Korea, both sides have committed to pursuing a lasting and robust peace 
regime and complete--complete--denuclearization of the Korean 
Peninsula.
  The next steps in the negotiation will test whether we can get to a 
verifiable deal that enhances the security of Northeast Asia, our 
allies, and, of course, the United States.
  Resolving this 61-year-old international challenge will take a great 
deal of hard work. As President Trump explained a few hours ago, 
``Today is the beginning of the arduous process. Our eyes are wide 
open.''
  I support the goals contained in the joint statement, and I remain 
supportive of the administration's stated position as Secretary Pompeo 
has reiterated: The goal of the United States is the ``complete, 
verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean 
peninsula.'' If North Korea does not prove willing to follow through, 
we and our allies must be prepared to restore the policy of maximum 
pressure.
  Today, I congratulate the President on this major step and share his 
hope that it will begin a process that leads to a historic peace.

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