General Mark Milley: We Ask Ukraine Not to Use US-Supplied Weapons for Direct Strikes on Russia

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A Milley. (Wikimedia Commons/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)

JAKARTA - The United States has long asked Ukraine not to use US-supplied military equipment to carry out attacks inside Russia, the country's top general said on Thursday, following Russian accusations that pro-Ukraine militias are using Washington's armored vehicles.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said his agency was investigating images on social media showing military vehicles and hardware in a cross-border attack on Monday by militia in Russia's Belgorod region.

"I can't tell you with definite accuracy at this time what it was, and I saw the same video, whether it was US-supplied equipment or not, what was the nature of the attack, who did what to whom," Gen Milley said at the conference. press at the Pentagon, reported by Reuters on May 26.

"I can't say for sure at this point, but I can say that we have asked Ukraine not to use US-supplied equipment for direct strikes on Russia," he said.

Footage of some of the destroyed vehicles released by the Russian Defense Ministry shows US-made military hardware such as Humvee military trucks. Reuters was able to confirm the location of the damaged vehicle and surrounding details shown in the video, although it was unable to verify the date that the image was taken.

The Ukrainian government has denied any role in the attack in Belgorod, which was claimed by two anti-Kremlin armed groups made up of Russian nationals, some of whom were far-right figures.

Moreover, Ukraine has said in the past, it will not use the long-range weapons promised by the United States to hit Russian territory, will only target Russian units in occupied Ukraine.

Gen Milley said the curtailment of US support to Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February 2022 was aimed at ensuring Kyiv's self-defense against Russian forces inside Ukraine.

"Why is that? Because we don't want it, this is a Ukrainian war. This is not a war between the United States and Russia. This is not a war between NATO and Russia," said General Milley.

Questions about Ukraine's use of US-supplied weaponry arose after President Joe Biden backed training of Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets, which Russia had previously warned the West against.

"It's no secret to us that more and more equipment is being sent to the Ukrainian armed forces," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, when asked about the militias' use of US-made hardware.

President Biden said he had received "definite assurances" from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Kyiv would not use F-16 fighter jets provided by the West to enter Russian territory.