U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis looks on during a bilateral meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-Moo at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that the United States was not out of diplomatic solutions with North Korea, just hours after President Donald Trump tweeted that “talking is not the answer.”

When asked by reporters before a meeting with his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon if the United States was out of diplomatic solutions with North Korea, Mattis replied: “No.”

“We are never out of diplomatic solutions. We continue to work together, and the minister and I share a responsibility to provide for the protection of our nations, our populations, and our interests,” Mattis added.