US says Russia escalated Ukraine conflict by deploying North Koreans

FILE PHOTO: People enter the State Department Building in Washington, U.S., January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Monday it was Russia that is escalating the conflict in Ukraine by deploying North Korean troops, after the Kremlin warned that Washington would deepen its involvement in the war by allowing Kyiv's forces to strike far into Russia with U.S.-made weapons.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a briefing declined to confirm that the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden had decided to allow the strikes, but reiterated that the U.S. "will always adapt and adjust the capabilities we provide to Ukraine when it's appropriate to do so."