A senior administration official told NatSec Daily the US supports strikes on Crimea if Kyiv deems them necessary, Politico has reported.
"We don't select targets, of course, and everything we've provided is for self-defence purposes. Any target they choose to pursue on sovereign Ukrainian soil is by definition self defence," this person said.
Asked if the administration considered the peninsula sovereign Ukrainian territory, the official replied: "Crimea is Ukraine."
A Ukrainian official said that message of support has made its way to Kyiv.