The U.S. says it will not link nutritional assistance to North Korea with politics.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a news briefing that nutritional assistance "is not something to be traded."

She added that with regard to whether the U.S. provides nutritional assistance to North Korea, its decision will be based on its assessment of need and its ability to monitor what the U.S. might be able to provide.

Nuland’s remarks followed reporters’ questions about North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency’s report that the North asked the U.S. to resume the provision of food aid.