State Dept. on Congressman Jeffries' Comment: US Will Not Send Troops to Fight in Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Sputnik ) - The United States will not send any troops to fight in Ukraine, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday.

US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Sunday that there is a significant likelihood the United States will have to send troops to the conflict zone if Ukraine falls, adding that Washington must continue supporting Kiev in order to prevent a broader war.

"The president [Joe Biden] has made clear that he will not send US troops to fight in Ukraine," Miller said in a press briefing.

No Reason to Adjust US Nuclear Posture in Response to Russia Drills

The United States sees no reason to change its nuclear stance in response to Russia's planned drills on tactical nuclear weapons nor does it see signs that Moscow is preparing to use nuclear arms in Ukraine, the spokesperson noted.

"Russia’s rhetoric has been reckless and irresponsible throughout this conflict. That said, we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture and, in response, to these announcements nor any indications that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine," Miller said during the briefing.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the General Staff of the Russian armed forces had started preparations for exercises involving missile units of the Southern Military District, aviation, as well as naval forces, in order to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to carry out combat missions.

During the exercises, the Russian armed forces will practice a set of activities for the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, the ministry said.

The drills should be perceived in the context of NATO's recent destabilizing actions as well as the latest bellicose statements made by Western officials, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with The Economist that he did not exclude the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine should Kiev send a request. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron rejected the idea but said that Kiev had the right to use the weapons provided by London to attack Russian territory.

On Sunday, US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CBS that "there's a significant likelihood" that America will have to send its troops to the conflict zone if Ukraine falls. He claimed that the US must continue supporting Kiev to "prevent a broader war."

Rafah Operation Would Jeopardize Delivery of Humanitarian Assistance

"Certainly, a Rafah operation would make it incredibly difficult to sustain the increases in humanitarian assistance that we have been able to deliver over the past few weeks since the president's call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on April 4, you have seen an increase in the number of trucks going in through Kerem Shalom, you have seen an increase in the distribution inside of Gaza, including inside southern Gaza. All of that would be put in jeopardy by Rafah's offensive," Miller told a press briefing.

The US has proposed to the Israeli government targeted and effective strategies to address legitimate military objectives against Hamas battalions in Rafah, Miller added.

US Will Not Have Representative at Putin's Inauguration

The United States will not have any representative attending the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Miller noted.

"We will not have a representative at his inauguration," he said.

Miller said that the US "certainly did not consider" Russia's March presidential election free and fair but Putin is "the President of Russia and is going to continue in that capacity."

The US will not have any representatives attending the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"We will not have a representative at his inauguration," Miller said during a press briefing.

Miller said that the US…

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