With U.S.-South Korea military exercises winding down on Tuesday, the next few months present a brief but critical window to start and get the most out of U.S.-North Korea working-level talks.

Whether or not these negotiations are successful comes down to one key question: does the United States have more leverage over North Korea by the end of these talks?

If the United States and North Korea conclude an agreement that does not ultimately give the United States more leverage to influence and constrain North Korea’s actions in the future, it is unlikely