US disapproves of Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, says State Department official
The United States of America does not encourage or support Ukrainian strikes beyond its borders, said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during a briefing on March 26.
Journalists asked the State Department representative to comment on recent media reports that the United States opposes Ukraine attacking oil refineries within Russian territory and has asked Ukraine to cease such actions.
"I'm not going to go into specifics about conversations, but from the beginning of this war, our policy has always been that we do not encourage or support Ukraine striking outside its own territory," Miller said.
Miller did not elaborate on what these "specific conversations" were but indicated that the US position is well known to the Ukrainian government, so "it's not something of which they would be unaware."
On March 22, the Financial Times reported that the US urged Ukraine to refrain from strikes on Russian oil refineries due to concerns over possible rising oil prices and a potential Russian response.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna stated that Ukraine operates in accordance with NATO's best standards, echoing what she had heard from Alliance partners at the outset of the full-scale war.
Russian media have reported that Ukraine has attacked oil refining facilities within Russia and the occupied territories 14 times in the last three weeks.