Ukraine assures US that it won't use Western weapons against targets in Russia
03.06.2022 11:30
The US State Department has confirmed that it has received assurances from the Ukrainian leadership that Western weapons will not be used in operations against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing.
He stressed that Ukraine has the right to respond to Russia's attack, and the US, together with allies, provides the Ukrainian Armed Forces with defensive weapons.
"Ukraine absolutely has the right to respond to Russia's aggression. The fact is that there are Russian forces inside sovereign Ukrainian territory. They have been there in some ways since 2014, but certainly on an expanded basis since February 24 of this year. Ukraine has every right, just as every country does, to defend its territory. That's precisely why we are providing this security assistance," Ned Price said.
"Now, it is true that we have received assurances from our Ukrainian partners that they won't use this weaponry to fire on targets inside of Russia. The fact is, the reality is – and it's a sad reality – that Russia's forces are on the ground inside Ukraine at locations that in some places are quite distant from the Russian border. So at every step of the way, when it was for the battle of Kyiv, when it has now shifted to the south and the east, we have provided our Ukrainian partners precisely with what they have requested and when they have requested it to take on the dynamics of the battlefield that they are encountering at this very moment."
"But we also want to be careful to ensure that we are not doing anything or the international community is not doing anything that would needlessly prolong this conflict. Right now there is only one country that is prolonging this conflict, and of course, that's Russia. If Ukraine stopped fighting today, there would be no sovereign, independent country of Ukraine tomorrow. If Russia stopped fighting today, there would be no war today," he added.
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He stressed that Ukraine has the right to respond to Russia's attack, and the US, together with allies, provides the Ukrainian Armed Forces with defensive weapons.
"Ukraine absolutely has the right to respond to Russia's aggression. The fact is that there are Russian forces inside sovereign Ukrainian territory. They have been there in some ways since 2014, but certainly on an expanded basis since February 24 of this year. Ukraine has every right, just as every country does, to defend its territory. That's precisely why we are providing this security assistance," Ned Price said.
"Now, it is true that we have received assurances from our Ukrainian partners that they won't use this weaponry to fire on targets inside of Russia. The fact is, the reality is – and it's a sad reality – that Russia's forces are on the ground inside Ukraine at locations that in some places are quite distant from the Russian border. So at every step of the way, when it was for the battle of Kyiv, when it has now shifted to the south and the east, we have provided our Ukrainian partners precisely with what they have requested and when they have requested it to take on the dynamics of the battlefield that they are encountering at this very moment."
"But we also want to be careful to ensure that we are not doing anything or the international community is not doing anything that would needlessly prolong this conflict. Right now there is only one country that is prolonging this conflict, and of course, that's Russia. If Ukraine stopped fighting today, there would be no sovereign, independent country of Ukraine tomorrow. If Russia stopped fighting today, there would be no war today," he added.
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