US State Department speaks of Ukraine's operation in Russia
Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department Vedant Patel (photo: Getty Images)
Decisions on Ukraine's military operations on the territory of the aggressor country Russia are made by Kyiv. The United States will support Ukraine's efforts to defend itself, says the Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department Vedant Patel.
When asked by a media representative how the US government assesses the Ukrainian Armed Forces' advance in Russia's Kursk region, the US official said that it is better for Ukraine to talk about its military operations on its own.
"But generally speaking, we have supported Ukrainian forces being able to defend themselves against attacks by Russia’s forces that are coming from across the border, to take actions to protect themselves from these attacks. That, as President Biden says, would be common sense," the State Department spokesperson said.
According to Patel, the United States continues to focus on "making sure that our partners in Ukraine have what they need to defend themselves from Russian aggression."
"And ultimately, the decisions about how Ukraine conducts its military operations are decisions for Ukraine to make," the American official said.
At the same time, he spoke about Washington's "taboo" on Ukraine launching strikes on Russian territory with American long-range weapons and Kyiv's calls for such restrictions to be lifted. According to Patel, "nothing has changed about the United States' policy with respect to strikes across the border."
When journalists asked the State Department representative to comment on Russian leader Vladimir Putin's threats of a "tough response" because of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' breakthrough in the Kursk region, the official reminded them that this was not the first time the Kremlin leader had made such rhetoric.
"Well, look, this is nothing new for Mr. Putin. Over the course of this conflict, he has saber-rattled, used escalatory language... in February of 2022 Russia illegally, unjustly crossed into Ukrainian territory with an attempt to subjugate its borders. And so really the solution here, and if Mr. Putin is interested in a quick resolution to this, would simply be for Russian forces to leave Ukraine. It could be as simple as that," Patel stated.
US reaction to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' breakthrough in the Kursk region
Earlier, White House spokesperson John Kirby said that the United States is waiting for Ukraine to provide information about the incident on the border with Russia in order to "better understand" what is happening in the Kursk region.
On August 10, the White House assured that the Ukrainian army did not violate the restrictions imposed by the United States on strikes deep into Russian territory with American weapons.
On August 12, US Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic Party member, called the breakthrough of the border in the Kursk region by Ukrainian troops "historic" at a briefing in Kyiv. He added that Ukraine has now moved the war to Russian territory.
