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The United States says it has shared intelligence with Kiev about the location of the Russian cruiser “Moscow” before the warship was hit by Ukrainian forces and sank, a development that was described as a major defeat for the Russian military. But on the other hand the Pentagon denied today that it had played a direct role in the attack on the warship.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the United States did not provide specific information to Ukraine to strike the warship, adding that Washington and its allies routinely share intelligence with Ukraine.
“We were not involved in the decision of the Ukrainians to hit the ship, or in the operation they are carrying out,” Kirby said. “We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine’s intentions to strike the ship,” he added.
On Thursday, a US official said it was Ukraine itself that decided to fire rockets and sink the main Russian naval vessel in the Black Sea. But given Russia’s attacks from the sea, towards Ukraine, the US has provided a range of intelligence information, which includes the locations of these ships, said the same official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Biden administration has stepped up intelligence sharing with Ukraine, along with arms and missile deliveries, to help repel Russia’s attack. The revelation of this information on the support given by the US in the attack on the warship, comes after the White House is under pressure from the Republicans to do more in support of the resistance of Ukraine and while the polls suggest that a part of the Americans have raised questions whether President Joe Biden is being tough enough on Russia.
In an interview with CNN on Friday, Mr. Kirby said that the intelligence provided by Washington to Ukraine is based on a legitimate process, and that it is limited, he added.
A Pentagon spokesman acknowledged that the United States has always been concerned about the potential for escalation of the conflict with Russia, a country that has nuclear weapons.
At a time when Russia is generally facing problems with its offensive, Moscow has issued increasingly threatening warnings to the United States and its NATO allies that it will try to crack down on arms shipments that are strengthening Ukraine’s defenses.
From the moment Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the attack on February 24, the White House has sought to balance support for Ukraine with an approach that is not intended to provoke a direct war between Russia on the one hand and the US and its allies on the other. NATO, on the other hand.
The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that the United States was unaware that Ukraine was planning to strike the warship until after the operation. American television “NBC News” was the first to report on the American role in the sinking of the ship.
Speaking earlier in the day, following an article in the New York Times about Washington’s role in the killing of Russian generals by Ukrainian forces, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said US agencies did not provide intelligence on the whereabouts of the leaders. senior military on the battlefield, or do not participate in the decisions, which the Ukrainian army takes on the targets it chooses to strike.
“Ukraine combines the information that we and other partners provide with the information it gathers, and then makes decisions about its actions,” Kirby said./VOA
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