U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. will not remove sanctions on North Korea or normalize relations with Pyongyang as long as the North has nuclear weapons.

Speaking at a forum on nuclear nonproliferation in Washington on Thursday, Clinton said current sanctions will not be relaxed until Pyongyang takes verifiable, irreversible steps toward complete denuclearization.

She added that North Korea’s leaders should be under no illusion that the United States will ever have normal, sanctions-free relations with a nuclear-armed North Korea.

Clinton said the U.S. is prepared to meet bilaterally with North Korea within the framework of the six-party talks but was quick to add that the North’s return to the negotiating table is not enough, once again stressing the need for Pyongyang’s denuclearization efforts.

Clinton’s remarks apparently sought to make clear to the North that even if Washington holds bilateral talks with Pyongyang, the focus of the talks would be on getting the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions.