EU, Germany, France, and the US Comment on Military Actions in Russia's Kursk Region: Ukraine Has the Right to Defend Itself

Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and the events in the Kursk region are in line with US policy. This was stated at a briefing at the Pentagon by Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of Defence Sabrina Singh, Ukrinform reports.

"This (the events in the Kursk region - ed.) is consistent with our policy, and we have supported Ukraine from the very beginning, and that it has the right to defend itself from attacks that are carried out across the border and because of the need for crossfire. So they're taking steps to protect themselves from attacks that come from a region where they can operate with our weapons under U.S. policy. In terms of this actual operation that's going on in the Kursk region that you mentioned, you should address that question to the Ukrainians," the Pentagon deputy spokeswoman said.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces may use German weapons in the Kursk region, including Leopard tanks, the head of the Bundestag's defence committee said.

Ukraine "has the legal right to defend itself, including by striking the aggressor on its territory". European Commission Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano said this in a commentary to Suspilne. 

"The EU continues to fully support Ukraine's legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and its efforts to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Stano said.

Fighting in Russia's Kursk region may force Russians to redeploy troops from other sectors, thus easing local pressure in areas where the Ukrainian Armed Forces have previously experienced difficulties, according to the French Defence Ministry.

White House spokeswoman Karin Jean Pierre said that Ukraine has the right to defend itself against Russia, as Russian troops are in the region (Kursk region - ed.) and regularly attack Ukrainian territory. She assured that the United States would continue to support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.

An alleged border breakthrough in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation took place on 6 August. The American Institute for the Study of War writes that during 6-7 August, Ukrainian forces advanced up to 10 km deep into the Kursk region. Geolocation footage shows that they penetrated at least two Russian defence lines and a stronghold. 

The Ukrainian side has not commented on this officially.