Trump: Military Option Not the First Choice for the U.S. Against North Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump once again warned that Washington will not tolerate further actions from North Korea, but at the same time stated that a military strike is not his 'first choice.' Reuters reports that Trump's statements seem to align with comments made by U.S. military-security-political officials during a briefing for Congress. According to several American lawmakers present at the closed-door briefing held on Wednesday, September 6, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and National Security Advisor Dan Coats emphasized that a diplomatic solution must be found for the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, Reuters quoted a senior White House official stating that Washington has currently set aside its withdrawal from the free trade agreement with South Korea, which Trump had previously called for. Following North Korea's nuclear bomb test, the presidents of the U.S. and China committed during a phone conversation to take 'further actions to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.' Trump told reporters about his phone call, saying, 'President Xi (Jinping) wants to do something. We will see if he can or not. In any case, we will not tolerate what is happening in North Korea.' The U.S. President added, 'I think President Xi agrees with me 100 percent.' In response to reporters asking about the possibility of a military option, Trump said, 'Certainly, this option is not our first choice, but we will see what happens.' The Chinese President, who has been repeatedly criticized by Trump over North Korea, emphasized during his 45-minute conversation with the U.S. President that this crisis should be resolved through 'dialogue and consultation.' In recent days, Trump has insisted that the policy of dialogue and 'appeasement' with North Korea has led nowhere and has called for increased pressure on Pyongyang. After the nuclear test on Sunday, the United States and South Korea requested the Security Council to consider additional sanctions against North Korea. On Wednesday night, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin warned that if the Security Council fails to impose tougher sanctions on Pyongyang, Trump may authorize him to target any country or company that engages in trade with North Korea with U.S. sanctions. This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday that resolving the North Korean crisis is not possible solely through pressure and sanctions. Putin discussed the Korean Peninsula crisis with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of an economic summit in Vladivostok. Moon, who took office this year, has favored more engagement with North Korea but is currently under pressure domestically not to show leniency toward his northern neighbor. The United States is seeking to have the Security Council completely ban North Korea's oil imports, textile exports, and the sending of workers abroad. Additionally, Washington is calling for a travel ban on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. However, Putin has stated that fuel sanctions disrupt the lives of ordinary North Koreans. According to Putin, Russia exports only 40,000 tons of crude oil to North Korea annually, while estimates suggest that China's crude oil exports to North Korea amount to 520,000 tons per year.