WASHINGTON, August 13. /TASS/. Ukraine allegedly did not warn the US in advance about its incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, Pentagon Spokesman Patrick Ryder said.
"They did not inform us in advance and yes, we are in consultation, you know, discussing this with them," he said at a news conference, according to a transcript released by the US Department of Defense.
According to the spokesman, strikes with US-provided weapons in the Kursk Region are consistent with US policy on the issue.
"So far, I would say that we assess that they're within the policy boundaries that we've set. Those policies haven't changed as it relates to, in particular, to use of US weapons," Ryder said.
"We are in contact with them [Ukraine] and when we have more to provide, we certainly will," he went on to say.
Ukrainian forces started a major attack on the Kursk Region on August 6. Missile attack alerts have been issued repeatedly in the region since then. The attack killed 12 civilians and wounded 121 others, including 10 children, the latest data show. Hospitals have admitted 69 people. Of them, 17 are in serious condition.
More than 120,000 people left the Kursk Region areas close to the Ukrainian border, or were evacuated. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine has lost up to 2,030 servicemen, 35 tanks and 31 armored personnel carriers since the start of fighting in the Kursk Region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 31 that President Joe Biden had given his consent to use US weapons for strikes inside Russia. According the top US diplomat, the decision concerned only strikes on Russian areas near Kharkov. But he said the range of such strikes could increase in the future. The German cabinet said the same day that German weapons could be used to defend against Russian attacks near the Kharkov Region. However, there are now different views in Western countries with respect to restrictions on the use of their weapons by Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 28 that targets and flight plans for modern attack systems are assigned remotely or automatically and don’t require the presence of Ukrainian servicemen. They are assigned by those who produce and supply these attack systems to Ukraine, Putin said, warning that NATO countries should "realize what they are playing with."
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitriy Medvedev said on May 31 that all long-range weapons supplied to Ukraine are "directly operated by NATO servicemen" and that could be a reason for retaliatory strikes.