US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States has no objection to Ukraine’s attack on the Crimean peninsula with American weapons because, according to him, it is “occupied Ukrainian territory.”
In an interview with CNN on Sunday, he said: “We do not place any restrictions on Ukraine regarding the lands within its internationally recognized borders,” given that “Crimea, in our opinion, is Ukrainian territory. “
However, he stressed that the United States does not support Ukrainian strikes using NATO weapons against Russia’s rear.
F-16 aircraft
Notably, after Washington gave the go-ahead to supply Kiev with F-16s, US President Joe Biden said earlier on Sunday that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky had given Washington “categorical assurances” that the F-16s would not attack. Russian territory. .
He told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan that “I have Zelensky’s categorical assurances that they will not use fighter jets to bombard Russian territory, but they will use them to bombard Russian forces inside Ukraine and the region.” “
“historical” decision
It comes after a meeting between Biden and Zelensky on Sunday, days after the US president gave the allies the green light to supply Ukraine with US-made F-16 fighter jets, in what his Ukrainian counterpart called “historic.”
Now Washington will support the joint initiative of its allies to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots. During this preparation, which will last for months, the West will decide when and how many aircraft will be delivered, as well as the countries that will provide them.
