US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said publicly for the first time that the United States is providing information to Ukrainian forces to conduct operations in the Donbas region. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Austin was asked if the United States had provided information to help Ukraine carry out attacks against Russian forces in the occupied Donbass region or in occupied Crimea. “We provide them with… information on conducting such operations… in Donbass. That’s right, “said Austin, responding to a question from Sen. Tom Cotton. Austin did not mention Crimea in his response. He also said that the United States does not discourage Ukraine from launching attacks against Russian forces in these areas. Why it matters: This is the first time a US official has publicly acknowledged the US role in Ukrainian operations in the disputed area as fighting moves away from the capital, Kiev, into southeastern Ukraine. “We continue to provide useful information and information to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their struggle,” a senior defense official told CNN on Thursday following Austin’s comments. “As this struggle migrates more to the Donbas area, we will adjust the content and flow of our information as required.” Austin then told the hearing that the Pentagon would send “updated guidance” today, but did not explicitly say what the guidance would entail. Cotton asked if the current guidance is not to provide such information to Ukraine. “Certainly the current guidance was not clear in this regard, so we will make sure it is clear,” Austin replied. Earlier this month, the White House acknowledged that the United States had sent “significant amounts of detailed, timely information” to Ukraine about Russia’s plans and actions.
