Washington, D.C [US], August 1 : Following the recent Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, the United States has said that it is up to Kyiv to decide how to conduct this war.
During a regular briefing on Monday (local time), US State Department official spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "First of all...I am not sure that I would agree with that interpretation of what 'symbolic centres' mean. I will say we neither encourage nor enable strikes outside Ukraine's borders...but as we have said many times it is up to Ukraine to decide how to conduct this war."
He responded to a media query regarding Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy's recent statement in which he said that the war is "returning to symbolic centres" now.
The reporter raised a question on whether the US administration supports that stand specifically with regard to "symbolic centres, which appears to mean civilian targets."
Responding to the query on the same, Miller said, "And when it comes to strikes... as you raised on civilian centres, it has been Ukrainian, civilian infrastructures that have been targeted over and over."
"Ukrainian civilians have been murdered in this war. Schools, hospitals, apartment buildings...I could go on down the list," he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday warned that the war is "gradually returning" to Russia, adding that it is an "inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process." He stressed that Ukraine is "getting stronger."
Zelenskyy's remarks come after Russia brought down three Ukrainian drones. According to the statement released by the Ukraine President's office, Zelenskyy said, "Russian aggression has gone bankrupt on the battlefield. Today is the 522nd day of the so-called "special military operation," which the Russian leadership expected to last for a week or two. Ukraine is getting stronger."
"Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia - to its symbolic centres and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process," he added.
Ukrainian drones attacked Russia's capital Moscow on Sunday morning, leaving one person injured, TASS News Agency reported citing the emergency services.
"A security guard was injured in a Oko-2 building as a result of the blast. Glazing from the first to the forth floor were shattered as a result of a drone attack," a source told TASS.
Regarding the incident that took place, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the city was attacked by Ukrainian drones.
Russia also said it had brought down three Ukrainian drones that were attempting to attack Moscow. It is the second reported attack in Moscow in a week.
"Tonight there was a Ukrainian drone attack. The facades of two office buildings in Moscow City were slightly damaged. There are no casualties," he wrote on his Telegram channel, according to TASS News Agency.
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