U.S. Ambassador Summoned, Given Demarche Over Usage of American Weapons in Sevastopol Attack

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U.S. Ambassador Lynn Tracy received a demarche from the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday over a missile attack on Sevastopol involving American weapons, further intensifying U.S.-Russia tensions.

On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles equipped with cluster warheads in an attack on Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. Of the missiles launched, four were intercepted, and one was deflected by Russian air defenses, causing it to explode over the city. The attack resulted in numerous casualties, including children, according to Russian officials.

During the meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry on June 24, Ambassador Tracy was issued a demarche, a formal diplomatic protest. The Ministry's statement emphasized the severity of the attack and accused the United States of direct involvement by providing the weapons and potentially assisting in targeting. "The United States, by supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine with weapons, including ATACMS missiles with cluster warheads used against the residents of Sevastopol, whose targeting and the introduction of flight missions are carried out by American military specialists, actually became a party to the conflict and bear equal responsibility for the attack with Kyiv," the statement read.

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that such actions by Washington would not go unpunished and promised retaliatory measures. "The ambassador was told that such actions by Washington... will not go unpunished. Retaliatory measures will certainly follow," the Ministry asserted, indicating a potential escalation in the conflict.

In response to the allegations, Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder addressed the issue during a briefing. Ryder reaffirmed the U.S. stance against civilian casualties and indicated that discussions with Ukrainian authorities would take place. "This is something we will talk about with the Ukrainians. We have made it very clear that we do not want to see civilian casualties," Ryder said.

However, Ryder did not confirm whether the U.S. was involved in providing targeting and intelligence information to Ukraine. He suggested that operational details should be sought from Ukrainian officials. "Ultimately, I would recommend that you reach out to Ukraine and be told about their operations," Ryder stated. "You know, they make their own decisions when it comes to operations and targets. We do not have any information indicating whether civilians were killed," he added.