On the 18th (local time), the U.S. Department of State declined to confirm a New York Times (NYT) report that President Joe Biden has authorized the use of long-range missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory for Ukraine.
On the same day, Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said during a briefing in response to related inquiries, "There is no policy update to announce today."
The NYT reported the previous day that President Biden had approved Ukraine's use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles, ATACMS, to strike Russian territory.
Spokesperson Miller explained, "We have made it clear that we will adjust Ukraine support capabilities at the appropriate time, and you have seen this supported by the measures we have taken over the past few years."
The U.S. Department of State's response on this day is interpreted as considering the strong backlash within Russia following the report, which mentioned the possibility of direct U.S. and European involvement in the war and the outbreak of World War III.
When asked about the report already being out and Russia's reaction that the U.S. has escalated the crisis, Miller reiterated, "We will not comment on or confirm any policy changes."
He also pointed out, "It is Russia that has escalated tensions," adding, "This includes Russia deploying more than 11,000 North Korean troops to the front lines in Kursk to participate in combat operations. This is a significant act of conflict escalation by Russia, bringing Asian forces into the conflict in Europe."
When asked about measures to prevent additional North Korean troop deployments, Miller said, "We have communicated directly with China, which has closer ties to North Korea than we do," and added, "The deepening North Korea-Russia relationship, especially what North Korea receives in return from Russia, does not align with China's interests, and we have made it clear that China should oppose North Korean troop deployments."
Regarding whether Secretary of State Antony Blinken would meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the G20 summit held in Brazil, Miller drew a clear line, saying, "No."
On reports that the leadership of the Palestinian militant group Hamas recently left Qatar and stayed in T?rkiye, Miller stated, "Leaders of heinous terrorist organizations should not be allowed to live comfortably anywhere," and said to the Turkish government, "We will make it clear that if they are with Hamas, business as usual can no longer continue."
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