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Russia reacts to US ‘supporting’ strikes on Crimea

Washington is fueling Ukraine’s ambitions to attack Russian territory, Moscow has warned

The US has again confirmed its direct involvement in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, the Russian Embassy in Washington has claimed. The statement came after US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said Russian military sites in Crimea were “legitimate targets” for Ukraine, and that her country was “supporting” strikes on them.

Nuland “has admitted that the [Biden] administration is fueling the ambitions of the Kiev regime to attack our country,” the Russian Embassy argued in a statement on Friday.

The words of the high-ranking American official were “clear confirmation of Russia’s position that the US is directly involved in the conflict” between Moscow and Kiev, it said.

The statement added that Washington is not just using rhetoric but is also taking “concrete actions” by supplying modern weapons and advising Ukrainian military leaders, and that “de facto, they plan operations together.” 

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FILE PHOTO
Nuland outlines US goals for Ukraine conflict

Citing American and Ukrainian officials, the Washington Post reported last week that Kiev’s forces would not fire a single shot from artillery systems provided by the US without first confirming the coordinates of the target with the Americans.

“Inciting Kiev criminals to attack Crimea is the same as pushing them to attack Moscow or Vladivostok,” the embassy insisted, adding that Russia would defend its territory in any case.

Crimea overwhelmingly voted to reunite with Russia in 2014 after a violent coup in Kiev. Ukraine still views the peninsula as part of its territory, with the US sharing that stance.

In her interview on Thursday with American think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Nuland said the US believes that Kiev is “owed and due all of their territory within their international borders,” including Crimea. “Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is – at a minimum, at a minimum – demilitarized,” she asserted, adding that the Biden administration backed Kiev’s attempts to target the peninsula.


READ MORE: US may assist Ukrainian strikes on Crimea – NYT

Washington’s support for attacks on Crimea is “an undisguised manifestation of the bellicose attitude of the US towards our country,” the Russian Embassy insisted.

February 17, 2023 at 01:07PM
RT

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