US Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki said that the comments by former US Army Major General Robert Scales urging to kill as many Russians as possible to end the Ukrainian conflict do not represent the US position.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The comments by former US Army Major General Robert Scales urging to kill as many Russians as possible to end the Ukrainian conflict do not represent the US position, US Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki told journalists on Friday.

“It sounds like you are referring to a retired individual who does not speak for the US government and certainly it is not consistent with our beliefs, Psaki said, when asked to comment Scales’ remarks.

The Russian Investigative Committee announced in a statement on Thursday that a criminal case was opened against Scales under the charges of “public incitement to an aggressive war using mass media.”

On Tuesday, Fox News aired an interview with Scales, a military analyst, who said Washington should help Kiev kill "so many Russians that even [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's media can't hide the fact that Russians are returning to their motherland in body bags."

The United States has been blaming Russia for escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where more than 6,000 people have been killed since hostilities began in April 2014. Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement.