An editorial published by the Washington Post has put forward the argument that a step-by-step "small deal" is the only diplomatic way forward with North Korea.

Columnist Josh Rogin said in an op-ed Thursday that the United States and North Korea are resuming negotiations in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s impromptu meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last weekend, and that a fight over North Korea policy has rekindled within the Trump administration.

He said, "What we’re seeing now is a return to the idea of a step-by-step approach known as the 'small deal,'” which he called the only diplomatic path with any chance of success.

He asserted that the Trump administration, led on this issue by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and special representative Stephen Biegun, is now returning to an incremental and phased approach to persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. 

Rogin said this is known because Kim rejected Trump’s offer for the “big deal,” which is complete denuclearization in return for economic normalization, at their summit in Hanoi in February, and that there’s no sign Kim will accept the offer now. 

The logical consequence, according to Rogin, is negotiations will focus on agreeing to something short of that, as an interim step.

He added that as far as the intelligence community is concerned, Kim has no intention of fully denuclearizing anyway, so a small deal might be all the U.S. can get.