Washington (Sen. Heitkamp’s Office)– U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp Thursday released the following statement after the administration cancelled an upcoming summit between the United States and North Korea:

“Today at the White House, I had the opportunity to hear directly from President Trump about his decision to cancel a scheduled summit with Kim Jong Un, whose regime has earned our deep skepticism about its real intentions. I support the administration’s decision to maintain pressure on North Korea until it no longer threatens the United States, but I sincerely hope today’s developments do not close the door to diplomacy or damage relationships with key allies in the region, like South Korea. The stakes are simply too high, and we can’t go it alone. I will continue to support tough, smart national security strategies and diplomacy in close coordination with our allies in order to make sure U.S. servicemembers on the Korean Peninsula are protected and American families are safe from the threat posed by North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles.”