 Russia reacts to U.S. supporting strikes on Crimea. The U.S. has again confirmed its direct involvement in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. The Russian embassy in Washington has claimed. The statement came after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said Russian military sites in Crimea were legitimate targets for Ukraine and that her country was supporting strikes on them. Nuland has admitted that the Biden administration is fueling the ambitions of the Kiev regime to attack our country. The Russian embassy argued in a statement. The words of the high-ranking American official were clear confirmation of Russia's position that the U.S. is directly involved in the conflict. Between Moscow and Kiev it said. The statement added that Washington is not just using rhetoric but is also taking concrete actions by supplying modern weapons and advising Ukrainian military leaders and that de facto they plan operations together. Citing American and Ukrainian officials, the Washington Post reported last week that Kiev's forces would not fire a single shot from artillery systems provided by the U.S. without first confirming the coordinates of the target with the Americans. In citing Kiev criminals to attack Crimea is the same as pushing them to attack Moscow or Vladivostok. The embassy insisted adding that Russia would defend its territory in any case. Crimea voted to reunite with Russia in 2014 after a violent coup in Kiev. Ukraine still views the peninsula as part of its territory with the U.S. sharing that stance. In her interview with American think tank at the Carnegie Endowment for Industrial Peace Nuland said the U.S. believes that Kiev is owed and due all their territory within their international borders, including Crimea. Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is, at a minimum, at a minimum demilitarized. She asserted adding that the Biden administration backed Kiev's attempts to target the peninsula. Washington's support for attacks on Crimea is an undisguised manifestation of the bellicose attitude of the U.S. towards our country. The Russian embassy insisted.