Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley (left) spoke during a joint press conference with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, following an online meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, at the Pentagon in Washington,
A top US general said on Thursday (May 25) that America has long asked Ukraine not to use US-provided military equipment to carry out attacks inside Russian territory.
This comes after Russia accused pro-Ukrainian militia used US armoured vehicles.
Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said his office was investigating social media images of vehicles and military hardware used in a cross-border incursion by militia in the Russian region of Belgorod earlier this week.
Milley told a press conference at the Pentagon: “I can’t say with definitive accuracy right this minute to you whether that – and I saw the same video – whether that’s U.S. supplied equipment or not, what was the nature of the attack, who did what to whom.”
He added, “I can’t say that with definitiveness right this minute, but I can say that we have asked the Ukrainians not to use US-supplied equipment for direct attacks into Russia.”
The Russian defence ministry provided footage of some destroyed vehicles, including Humvee combat trucks made in America. But the content of the video has been verified
A top US general said on Thursday (May 25) that America has long asked Ukraine not to use US-provided military equipment to carry out attacks inside Russian territory.
This comes after Russia accused pro-Ukrainian militia used US armoured vehicles.
Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said his office was investigating social media images of vehicles and military hardware used in a cross-border incursion by militia in the Russian region of Belgorod earlier this week.
Milley told a press conference at the Pentagon: “I can’t say with definitive accuracy right this minute to you whether that – and I saw the same video – whether that’s U.S. supplied equipment or not, what was the nature of the attack, who did what to whom.”
He added, “I can’t say that with definitiveness right this minute, but I can say that we have asked the Ukrainians not to use US-supplied equipment for direct attacks into Russia.”
The Russian defence ministry provided footage of some destroyed vehicles, including Humvee combat trucks made in America. But the content of the video has been verified.
Russia said that Kyiv’s forces had killed one resident of the Belgorod region and Moscow threatened Kyiv, stating that it would respond “extremely” harshly to all future incursions.
After two days of fighting in the southern region of Belgorod, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told military officials: “We will continue to respond promptly and extremely harshly to such actions by Ukrainian militants.”
Notably, in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, which started after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, the border region of Belgorod in the country’s south has been repeatedly shelled, killing dozens of people.
And authorities have also reported a series of incidents involving members of “sabotage” groups crossing over from Ukraine. Last month, the city of Belgorod was bombed by a Russian fighter jet which dropped ammunition over the city by accident.
Ukraine denies any involvement.
The Ukrainian government denied any involvement in the Belgorod raid, which was claimed by two anti-Kremlin armed organisations comprised of Russian nationals, some of whom are far-right leaders.
After the apparent attack on Kremlin, Russia blamed Ukraine for it. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied any involvement and said that “we don’t attack Putin, or Moscow, we fight on our territory.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine has already stated that it will not employ longer-range weapons pledged by the US to attack Russian territory, instead targeting Russian soldiers on occupied Ukrainian land.
Milley said restrictions on US support to Ukraine following Russia’s February 2022 invasion were aimed at ensuring Kyiv’s self-defence against Russian forces inside Ukraine.
Milley said, “Why is that? Because we don’t want – this is a Ukrainian war. It is not a war between the United States and Russia. It’s not a war between NATO and Russia.”