US State Department: Sending Syrian Fighters to Ukraine an Unjustified Escalation

First responders work in a building that was struck by a Grad rocket attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 15, 2022. Wolfgang Schwan | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
First responders work in a building that was struck by a Grad rocket attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 15, 2022. Wolfgang Schwan | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
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US State Department: Sending Syrian Fighters to Ukraine an Unjustified Escalation

First responders work in a building that was struck by a Grad rocket attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 15, 2022. Wolfgang Schwan | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
First responders work in a building that was struck by a Grad rocket attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 15, 2022. Wolfgang Schwan | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The United States considered the transfer of foreign fighters to participate in the Russian invasion of Ukraine an “unjustified” escalation, saying that Moscow must instead focus on ending the war.

A spokesperson from the US Department of State told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements regarding sending Syrian and foreign fighters to Ukraine is an additional unjustified escalation against Ukraine.

The spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that this attitude shows the Russian mentality and its destructive approach used in Syria, being brought to Ukraine as well.

He added that Russia’s focus should be put on ending the war instead of bringing more suffering to the Ukrainians.

Putin on Friday approved plans to recruit 16,000 fighters from the Middle East to take part in the war in Ukraine.

“If you see that there are people who want of their own accord — not for money — to come to help … then we need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone,” Putin told Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu at a security council meeting in Moscow.

Observers in the US see the decision to summon "mercenaries" from the Middle East, namely Syria, is a clear indicator that Russia does not plan to back down on its military operations in Ukraine.

But Ukraine has succeeded in slowing down the Russian military advancement since Feb. 24 when Putin ordered the invasion. It also urged foreign volunteers to join Ukraine in its defense.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that more than 40,000 Syrian pro-regime fighters have registered to go to Ukraine to fight alongside the Russians.

"More than 40,000 Syrians have registered to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine so far," said SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman.

Abdel Rahman said Russia had drawn Syrian army recruits from the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, once better known as the "Tiger Forces".



Blinken, in Brussels, Pledges to Shore up Ukraine Support Ahead of Trump Transition

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
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Blinken, in Brussels, Pledges to Shore up Ukraine Support Ahead of Trump Transition

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) shake hands at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2024. (EPA)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured NATO on Wednesday that the Biden administration would bolster its support for Ukraine in the few months before Donald Trump's return as president and would try to strengthen the alliance in that time.

Meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, Biden also said the deployment of North Korean troops to help Russia in the Ukraine war would get a "firm response".

President-elect Trump, who has questioned US military support for Ukraine, says he will quickly end Russia's war without saying how, raising concerns among U.S. allies he could try to force Kyiv to accept peace on Moscow's terms. Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.

Blinken said after meeting Rutte at the alliance’s headquarters they discussed ongoing support for Ukraine, where Russian forces have been making gains on the eastern front lines, and the work NATO must do strengthen its defense industrial base.

The outgoing US administration would "continue to shore up everything we're doing for Ukraine," he said.

"President Biden fully intends to drive through the tape and use every day to continue to do what we have done these last four years, which is strengthen this alliance," Blinken said.

The deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia in the conflict "demands and will get a firm response," he said.

Rutte said that "Russia has not won" in Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022.

"Obviously we have to do more to make sure that Ukraine can stay in the fight and is able to roll back as much as possible the Russian onslaught and prevent (President Vladimir) Putin from being successful in Ukraine," he said.

Blinken is expected to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha later, according to a State Department schedule.

He will also meet NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli, top EU officials and British foreign secretary David Lammy in Brussels on Wednesday.