Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast 'consistent' with US policy, Pentagon says
Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region is "consistent with our policy," U.S. Defense Department Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told the press on Aug. 8.
Responding to a question on the reports of the incursion, which began on Aug. 8, and whether Ukraine can use U.S.-supplied weapons, Singh replied that the U.S. has "supported Ukraine from the beginning to defend themselves against attacks that are coming across the border."
Kursk Oblast shares a 245-kilometer (152-mile) border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily Russian attacks since the liberation of its parts in April 2022.
Ukraine is taking action "to protect themselves from attacks" and operating "within the U.S. policy of where they can operate our weapons, our systems, our capabilities," Singh said.
Singh declined to provide more details on the operation, responding that it is for Ukraine "to speak to their own operations."
Responding to a question on how far into Russian territory Ukraine is allowed to strike, Singh said that the U.S. does "not support long-range attacks," but refused to specify the exact distance.
"I'm not going to draw a circular map on where they can and can't strike, but we've been very clear with the Ukrainians," she said.
Kyiv is "aware of the U.S. policy and what we are supportive of," and Washington is "supportive of Ukraine and their success on the battlefield," she added.
The U.S. provides the most military support to Ukraine, followed by Germany.
Marcus Faber, the German parliament's Defense Committee chair, described the incursion into Kursk as "completely legitimate" earlier on Aug. 8.
German-supplied weapons may also be used in the incursion, as "with the handover to Ukraine, these are Ukrainian weapons," Faber said.
"Anyone who starts a war of aggression against their neighboring country is also turning their own territory into a war zone."
"We can only wish the Ukrainian defenders every success, including in Kursk," Faber said.
