White House denies supporting Ukraine’s incursions into Russian territory

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House has stated that it does not support Ukraine launching attacks within Russia, following two drone incidents in Moscow on Monday that caused damage to buildings.

“As a general matter we do not support attacks inside of Russia,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre during a press briefing.

Russia has pledged to respond harshly to Ukraine, labeling the two drone strikes, one of which occurred close to the Defense Ministry’s headquarters, as acts of terrorism.

“This is a war that Russia initiated. It is their war,” Jean-Pierre commented. “They can end it at any time by withdrawing forces from Ukraine, rather than carrying out brutal attacks on civilians.”

No injuries were reported as a result of the attack in Moscow, which marked the most significant incident of its kind since two drones reached the Kremlin in May.

One drone landed near Russia’s defense headquarters, serving as a symbolic blow that highlighted the capabilities of such drones. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed that more attacks would occur.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Kyiv announced that a Russian drone attack had destroyed Ukrainian grain warehouses and injured seven individuals near the Danube River.

The Kremlin stated its intention to continue what it refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine, despite assertions from Kyiv and much of the West that it is a brutal campaign of conquest.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that a swarm of 17 drones launched overnight attacks on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. These drones targeted an ammunition warehouse and caused damage to a residential building, according to the head of Crimea appointed by Russia.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington; writing by Kanishka Singh; editing by Chris Reese and Susan Heavey)