According to a White House official, the recent agreement between the United States and South Korea to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence does not amount to a de facto nuclear sharing between the two allies. Edgard Kagan, the special assistant to the president and senior director for East Asia and Oceania of the National Security Council, emphasized that the accord represents a significant strengthening of the partnership and the alliance between the two nations. The agreement, titled the Washington Declaration, includes the formation of a new Nuclear Consultative Group to manage the threat posed by North Korea, as well as to strengthen extended deterrence and discuss nuclear and strategic planning. However, Kagan was clear that the declaration did not constitute nuclear sharing, as the term carries significant implications, and that there are significant differences between the United States and South Korea in terms of the U.S. being a nuclear state under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The White House has emphasized that the United States will make every effort to consult with South Korea on any possible nuclear weapons employment on the Korean Peninsula. Speaking at a joint press conference on April 26, President Biden declared that the United States would deploy nuclear-capable systems to the Korean Peninsula but would not be stationing nuclear weapons. He warned that any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies is unacceptable, and North Korea conducted a series of missile launches this year.