Kirby: We oppose strikes on Russia, but it's up to Ukraine to decide

At a briefing on Wednesday, White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby once again clarified the United States' position on military operations in Russia.

This was reported by a correspondent of Yevropeiska Pravda.

According to Kirby, the United States does not tell Ukraine which targets to hit and which not to hit and also does not indicate how Ukrainian forces should conduct combat operations.

"We provide them with training, equipment, advice - and heck, we even do situational modeling with them to help them plan their next steps," he emphasized.

"But it is President Zelenskyy and the military leadership who decide what they will do from a military perspective. And they are the ones who decide what to do with the equipment that has been provided to them and is now in their possession," the White House official emphasized.

Kirby, however, added that the United States "has been very clear to the Ukrainians both privately and publicly" that it does not support attacks inside Russia and does not want them to be carried out using American weapons.

Separately, he said that Washington had received assurances that F-16 fighter jets would not be used in the future to strike Russia: "And we have these assurances at different levels: not only from Zelenskyy but also from other senior defense officials in Ukraine."

Author - Olena Madiak, 31/05/2023