North Korea’s vice-foreign minister said on Tuesday the United States will face “undesired consequences” if it fails to present a new position in denuclearisation talks by the end of the year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has set a year-end deadline for the United States to show more flexibility after his second summit with President Donald Trump failed to produce a deal to end Pyongyang’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

North Korean Vice-Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui singled out a Pompeo interview last week with CBS in which he said the US may have to “change paths” if the negotiations break down.

She also said North Korea’s determination to denuclearize remained unchanged. It would happen “when the time comes,” but only if the United States changed its current calculations.“We know the path we will take, but we’re just hesitating to choose as we have set the deadline for the United States,” Choe said.

The North had been seeking a deal to ease sanctions in exchange for dismantling some of its nuclear facilities, but Trump called for a “big deal” in which sanctions would be lifted if Pyongyang handed over all its nuclear weapons to the United States.

When asked about North Korea’s calls for him to be dropped from the talks, Pompeo reiterated on Monday that he was still in charge of the U.S. negotiating team.“The president gets to decide that,” he said in an interview with The Hill. “We don’t get to decide who my counterpart is, and President Trump gets to decide who will represent America.” Trump has said he is open to a third summit with Kim, but has stressed that sanctions will remain in place.