U.S. officials are reaching out to their Ukrainian counterparts "to get a little better understanding" of the situation in Russia's Kursk region, where clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces are currently taking place, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Aug. 7.
Ukrainian forces crossed the border into the Kursk region on Aug. 6, resulting in clashes on Russian soil that have continued into the following day, Russian officials say.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incursion as a "large-scale provocation," while Russian Army Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed on Aug. 7 that Ukraine's "advance in the Kursk direction was halted." Kyiv has not commented on the fighting in the area.
At a press conference on Aug. 7, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said it was "a bit rich for (Russia) to call it a provocation" in light of the more than 10 years that Russia has violated Ukraine's territorial sovereignty.
"I'll let the Ukrainians speak to their operations one way or the other. That’s most appropriate," Kirby said.
Miller acknowledged that the U.S. did not know about the incursion before it happened but said "it's not unusual for the Ukrainians not to notify us of their exact tactics before they execute them, it's a war that they are conducting."
Washington hasn't changed its policy of allowing Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons "to target imminent threats just across the border," Kirby said. Separately, Miller said that the incursion had not violated U.S. policy.
When Russia launched its intensified offensive against Kharkiv Oblast in May, a number of countries said they had lifted restrictions on the use of Western-provided weapons against military targets inside Russia.
The U.S. granted Kyiv limited permission to use certain American weapons to strike Russian targets near the region's border.
The Kursk region lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily attacks since Russian troops were pushed out of the oblast and back across the border in April 2022.
Over the past day, Moscow's troops have increased aviation activity near the border areas of Sumy Oblast, dropping about 30 guided aerial bombs on the settlements, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update. The local authorities ordered a further mandatory evacuation of border settlements.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
