The only reason for the situation in the Kursk region is Russia's invasion of Ukraine, said Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel at a briefing on August 13, UNN reports.
The only reason we are talking about this topic at all is that the only country that is fighting in Ukraine is Russia. It was President Putin who invaded Ukraine, and Ukraine is defending itself against this aggression. From the very beginning it was an aggressive war of the Kremlin against Ukraine, pure and simple
He also reiterated that the United States was not involved in any aspect of the planning or preparation of this operation. "I'll let the Ukrainian military talk about their own operations, but our role and what we're focused on is supporting Ukraine in its ability to defend itself, which we think is common sense, especially when it comes to defending against attacks or operations that may be taking place directly across the border. And so we will continue to be focused on making sure that our Ukrainian partners have what they need to do that," Patel said.