Pentagon: Ukraine can use US weapons only on the battlefield in its territory

The US insists that Ukraine must not use American-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia, focusing instead on reclaiming its sovereign territory, a Pentagon official says.

May 17, 2024 - 07:11

Pentagon: Ukraine can use US weapons only on the battlefield in its territory

pentagon ukraine can use us weapons only battlefield its territory spokesperson sabrina singh credit dvids defense department deputy press secretary 1

At a briefing on 16 May, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh reiterated that the United States has not changed its stance on prohibiting strikes on Russian territory with US-supplied weapons. Ukraine should use the capabilities sent by the US and other allies “to take back Ukrainian sovereign territory,” she says.

Earlier, during his recent visit to Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington “does not encourage” Ukraine to strike with US weapons on Russian territory but that it “must decide for itself what to do.”

Asked whether the US might reconsider its stance against Ukraine using American weapons to strike inside Russia, particularly in response to the ongoing offensive and attacks on Kharkiv Oblast, where the Russian attacks come across the border, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh responded,

“[W]e haven’t changed our position. We believe that the equipment, the capabilities that we are giving Ukraine, that other countries are giving to Ukraine should be used to take back Ukrainian sovereign territory,” the Pentagon spokesperson said.

When asked to clarify if this position is a request to Ukraine or a binding condition that goes along with weapon supplies, Singh said:

“We’ve made our requests pretty public on this. Again, I would reiterate that, in every single Ukraine defense contact group that the Secretary convenes, the weapons that are provided, again, it’s for use on the battlefield.”

The Pentagon spokesperson added that in his conversations and talks with Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin “talks through how best those capabilities can be used, and we believe that is within Ukrainian territory.”

Estonia: West should allow Ukraine to hit targets in Russia with Western weapons

During his visit to Kyiv earlier this month, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that Ukraine “absolutely has the right to strike back at Russia,” and noted that the UK doesn’t “discuss any caveats” regarding the use of the UK-supplied weapons, and the decision where to utilize them rests on Ukraine.

Blinken’s remarks in Kyiv echoed those of Cameron, but he highlighted the US recommendation against using US-supplied weapons inside Russia. And now, the Pentagon has now de facto acknowledged that refraining from striking Russian territory is a condition for supplying these weapons.

Estonia: West should allow Ukraine to hit targets in Russia with Western weapons

China

Regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s idea that the peace talks on Ukraine should be discussed based on proposal made by China, Sabrina Singh said:

“I’m going to let Ukraine speak to its own sovereignty and decisions that it makes going forward,” adding that the US is focused on providing Kyiv with “the equipment, the capabilities that Ukraine needs on the battlefield to be successful.”

US trainers

On 16 May, Gen. Charles Brown, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that a NATO deployment of trainers to Ukraine seemed inevitable.

“We’ll get there eventually, over time,” he said.

When asked if the US has plans to send military instructors to Ukraine, Sabrina Singh said, “Not to my knowledge,” adding that outside Ukraine, the US is training “thousands upon thousands of soldiers as part of our long-term commitment to Ukraine,” but she is “not aware of us sending any trainers to Ukraine.”