“We are still working with Ukraine on how that fits into their strategic objectives on the battlefield itself,” Singh said during a press briefing, while admitting that "we do have some questions on that."
The spokesperson indicated that the US could gain a better understanding of Ukraine's strategic goals when Defense Secretary Austin speaks with Ukraine's Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov.
The Ukrainian military incursion into Russia’s region of Kursk has not violated US policies on the use of its weapons on the battlefield, as it is taking place within Kiev’s defensive counterfire against Russian attacks from beyond the border, she added.
“Our policy does allow for Ukraine to conduct counterfires to defend itself from Russian attacks coming over that border region, and that border region does include Kursk; it does include Sumy, and so they are defending themselves from Russian attacks within that region,” Singh noted.
The official’s remarks came in reply to a question on whether the United States assessed that the policy on the use of US-supplied weapons to Ukraine had been violated amid the ongoing operation in Kursk.
On August 6, Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Russia and launched an offensive in the Kursk Region. Commenting on the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine had carried out another large-scale provocation, firing indiscriminately at civilian targets. The enemy will receive a proper response in the border regions of Russia, Putin added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not have attacked the Kursk Region if the United States had not instructed him to do so, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.