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Cailianshe News, August 16 (Editor: Xiaoxiang)U.S. government officials still view Ukraine's military raid into Russia's Kursk region as a protective measure so far, suitable for Kiev to use American equipment.They are also expressing concern about possible complications if Ukrainian troops advance further into Russian territory.

According to Ukraine, its advancing troops have penetrated 35 kilometers into Russian territory since launching the raid on August 6. The Ukrainian government said it has no intention of occupying Russian territory and is establishing a buffer zone to protect its border areas from Russian attacks.

In response, U.S. officials said Kiev's overall goals remained unclear.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said in an interview that the deeper Ukrainian troops push into Russia without a clear objective, the more complicated the policy becomes.

The official noted,If Ukraine begins using U.S. weapons and vehicles to capture villages and other nonmilitary targets, it could raise questions about whether it is complying with restrictions on the weapons' use set by Washington.

Another U.S. official said that the U.S. arms aid policy to Ukraine was not designed for Ukraine to invade Russia, although Ukraine is still technically complying with this policy. Therefore, the Biden administration has not taken a strong position in public for or against an attack so far.

At present, it is not clear to the outside world which American-made weapons or equipment Ukraine used in its military operations into Russian territory.

Sabrina Singer, deputy spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Defense, said last week that Ukraine's attack on Kursk Oblast that caused casualties was "consistent with U.S. policy." Singer said at a press conference: "They are taking actions to protect themselves from attacks from the region, which are within the scope of U.S. policy, and they can use our weapons, systems and capabilities there."

US is "ambiguous" on arms restrictions

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the United States has firmly supported Ukraine and provided it with more than $50 billion worth of military equipment.To avoid a wider conflict with geopolitical rival Russia, the Biden administration initially placed strict restrictions on the use of its weapons, but those restrictions have been gradually relaxed since then.

However, despite repeated calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the United States has restricted Ukraine from using its weapons for "long-range" attacks on Russian territory.The Biden administration has not publicly defined what “remote” means.

"We have been very clear and consistent in saying that we want Ukraine to focus on defending itself against aggression within its borders," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. "We do not encourage, nor do we support, attacks outside of Ukraine except in those exigencies where we believe they face an imminent threat near their borders."

Currently, the U.S. government is working to determine the real purpose of Ukraine's offensive. One official said it was normal for them to act without informing us. One possible purpose of the action appears to be to force Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Another official pointed out that intelligence showed that at least some Russian troops moved from Kharkiv, Ukraine to the Kursk region of Russia.

The U.S. officials said the "gamble" appeared to be starting to work, but "we'll have a clearer picture in the coming weeks." Biden has not spoken to Zelensky since meeting him twice in June in France and Italy.

Because the Ukrainian and Russian militaries have banned international journalists from the battlefield, it is almost impossible to verify their accounts of the fighting inside Russia.

“The Biden administration believes they can manage the level of escalation very effectively from the outset of the war,” said Rachel Rizzo, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center in Washington. “Their goal is to control the Russian response while giving the Ukrainians enough wiggle room in the use of weapons so that they have a chance to make some gains.”