WASHINGTON, November 20. /TASS/. The US is set to continue supplying the current regime in Ukraine with intelligence for military operations against Russia, US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

He was commenting on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks about direct American involvement in strikes on Russian territory.

The spokesman declined to say whether US military staff were involved in the ATACMS launches from Ukraine toward Russia.

"I'm not going to speak to that, but has the United States shared intelligence with Ukraine? Absolutely, we have. Have we shared that intelligence with Ukraine with the expectation that would improve their performance on the battlefield? Absolutely. And we'll continue to do that," he said.

The Russian foreign minister earlier said Moscow assumes that ATACMS missiles can’t be launched without the involvement of US military staff, satellite data and target programming. According to Lavrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said as much on multiple occasions.

"If long-range missiles are launched from Ukraine into Russian territory, it will mean that they are operated by American military experts. We will react appropriately," the minister said.

On November 17, the New York Times reported, citing sources, that US President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles for deeper strikes inside Russia. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols later confirmed this information. Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said some EU countries also authorized the use of their weapons for deeper strikes inside Russia.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned afterward that Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine stipulates a potential nuclear strike in response to Ukraine’s use of Western-made conventional missiles against Russia. Earlier, he described the West’s latest decision as a "qualitatively new" round of escalation.