The United States says North Korea’s claim that South Korea asked the North to hold summits during a secret meeting last month does not help efforts to improve inter-Korean relations.

State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on Wednesday that he does not know if the North’s recent claims will ratchet up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, adding that the North’s recent move is more of the same rhetoric that it has shown before.

Toner then reiterated that North Korea needs to improve inter-Korean relations and demonstrate a change in behavior, including ceasing provocative actions, before efforts can be made to move U.S.-North Korea relations forward.

Asked if the recent issue would affect the U.S. in deciding whether to provide food aid to the North, Toner said Washington’s food assistance program is a separate piece altogether from the policy side of the North's claims.