"We have not given up on denuclearization. We still want North Korea to denuclearize," Jenkins said during a conversation at the Center for a New American Security when the audience asked her whether the US is no longer pursuing denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
Jenkins reminded that US President Joe Biden clearly shows from the very beginning his readiness to engage with North Korea, but Pyongyang has not responded to his initiatives to discuss all the issues.
She also pointed out that arms control promotes predictability and helps countries to find a way to regulate, verify and destroy particular types of arms.
Jenkins said the recent launches conducted by North Korea are gross violations of the UN Security Council decisions. She also said that the positions of Russia and China are contradicting the other three permanent members of the Security Council.
The US is continuing to work with other like-minded countries on improving and strengthening sanctions against North Korea, she added.
On Wednesday, North Korea unsuccessfully launched the Malligyong-1 military reconnaissance satellite mounted on a Chollima-1 carrier rocket. After the separation of the first stage, the engine of the second stage failed to ignite, causing the rocket to lose thrust and fall into the Yellow Sea, North Korea's space agency said.
On Friday, Anna Yevstigneeva, the Russian deputy ambassador to the UN, said that the root cause of tensions on the Korean Peninsula was the desire of the US and its allies to increase pressure on Pyongyang.