WASHINGTON, December 7. /TASS/. The US government does not encourage Kiev troops to strike the territory of Russia, but will continue to provide Ukraine with the military assistance it needs to defend itself, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after the US-Australian negotiations in Washington on Tuesday.

In his words, Washington "neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia."

However, he added that the United States and its allies were determined to provide the Kiev government with "the equipment that they need to defend themselves, to defend their territory, to defend their freedom.".