Ukraine did not warn about actions in Russia's Kursk Oblast, it doesn't violate US policy – US Department of State

Oleh Pavliuk, Tetyana Oliynyk — Wednesday, 7 August 2024, 22:00

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US Department of State, has stated that the US had not received any advance notification from Ukraine of any operation in Kursk Oblast, Russia.

Source: Miller at a briefing on 7 August, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Miller confirmed that the US had not received any prior information about possible operations in the Russian territory, adding that "it’s not unusual for the Ukrainians not to notify us of their exact tactics before they execute them".

"It’s the war that they [the Ukrainians – ed.] are conducting. We are providing them with the equipment; we provide them with advice. But when it comes to the day-by-day tactic that they carry out, the day-by-day strikes that they take, sometimes we’re in communication about it, sometimes we’re not. It’s appropriate for them to make those decisions," Miller stated.

Miller reluctantly responded to a question whether the actions of alleged Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast violate the US ban on strikes on the territory of Russia with American weapons, stressing that Washington’s policy in this regard had not changed.

"I’d say it this way. Nothing about our policy has changed, and with the actions that they [the Ukrainians – ed.] are taking today they are not violating our policy," Miller said at a briefing.

Background: 

  • On the morning of 6 August, Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Russia's Kursk Oblast, claimed that Ukrainian forces had mounted an attempt to infiltrate the Sudzha and Korenevo districts of Kursk Oblast. 
  • Russian propagandists and milbloggers are claiming that Ukrainian forces secured a foothold in the border area. Russian ruler Vladimir Putin called the situation a "provocation".
  • Peter Stano, the European Commission's spokesman on foreign policy issues, stated that Ukraine has the right to self-defence and can strike Russian territory.
  • Ukraine has not yet commented on the events in Kursk Oblast.

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