Bolton: Denuclearization is non-negotiable — including non-nuclear weapons

National security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday that North Korea’s denuclearization is not negotiable — including non-nuclear weapons.

“Denuclearization is absolutely at the core of it and it means not just nuclear weapons,” Bolton said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“North Korea has also previously agreed … to give up its uranium reprocessing capabilities, we’ve got ballistic missiles on the table, we’ve got to look at chemical and biological weapons.

Bolton noted that North Korea had previously agreed to decommission its uranium reprocessing capabilities and that the U.S. has ballistic missiles “on the table.” But, he said, the U.S. had a range of things to discuss, floating the idea of looking at chemical and biological weapons.

“We want to see the denuclearization process so completely underway that it is irreplaceable,” Bolton said.

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According to Bolton, it isn’t yet clear if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s willingness to dismantle his country’s nuclear capabilities is sincere. But, he said, President Trump will “size him up” and see if his commitment is real at the upcoming June 12 summit planned between the two leaders in Singapore.

“I think we are prepared to open to trade and investment with North Korea as soon as we can,” Bolton said, noting that such cooperation can’t happen until a denuclearization agreement is reached.

Bolton, who also appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, said economic relations do not mean the U.S. would give aid to North Korea.

“I wouldn’t look for economic aid from us,” Bolton said. “The prospect for North Korea is to become a normal nation. Behave and interact with the rest of the world the way South Korea does.”