The US Defense Department denied Thursday that it provided intelligence on the locations of Russian generals on the battlefield so that Ukrainian forces could kill them.

Reacting to an explosive New York Times report on US support for Ukraine’s military, Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said it was true that the United States supplies Kyiv’s forces with military intelligence “to help Ukrainians defend their country.”

“We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military,” Kirby said.

In a separate revelation, US media reported later Thursday that the United States had shared intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Russian warship Moskva last month.

However, a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the United States does not “provide specific targeting information on ships.”

“We do provide a range of intelligence to help the Ukrainians understand the threat posed by Russian ships in the Black Sea and to help them prepare to defend against potential sea-based assaults,” the official said.

In a story first published by NBC, anonymous officials said Ukraine asked Washington about a ship sailing in the Black Sea, whose location the United States helped confirm, in addition to identifying it as the Moskva.

However, the United States did not know that Ukraine would target the flagship vessel, the officials cited by NBC said.

Source: AFP