![]() ![]() The cluster munitions are included in a new $800 million package of military aid the U.S. The United States, Russia and Ukraine are among those who have not signed on. officials said there would be fewer unexploded bombs left behind to harm civilians.Ī convention banning the use of cluster bombs has been joined by more than 120 countries that agreed not to use, produce, transfer or stockpile the weapons and to clear them after they’ve been used. With a claimed rate under 3% for the supply to Ukraine, U.S. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, backed the move, saying Ukraine needs access to weapons Russia already is using.Īccording to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some cluster munitions leave behind bomblets that have a high rate of failure to explode - up to 40% in some cases. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the civilian risk lingers “often long after a conflict is over.” Meanwhile, Sen. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., called the decision “unnecessary and a terrible mistake.” And Rep. “will not leave Ukraine defenseless at any point in this conflict, period.” has “hundreds of thousands” of cluster munitions available for Ukraine at the low dud rate.Īllies “recognize the difference between Russia using its cluster munitions to attack Ukraine and Ukraine using cluster munitions to defend itself its citizens and its sovereign territory,” he said. While he declined to say how many the U.S. is confident the rate of unexploded duds is below 2.35 percent. ![]() He said the bombs have been tested five times between 19, and the U.S. will give Ukraine the most modern cluster munitions that have far lower dud rates. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention and so as a result, of course, he does not want there to be continued use of cluster munitions on the battlefield.”Ĭolin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, said the U.S. human rights office, said Friday “the use of such munitions should stop immediately and not be used in any place.” That is intolerable to us.”īut Marta Hurtado, speaking for the U.N. But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians, because Ukraine does not have enough artillery. “This is why we’ve deferred the decision for as long as we could. “We recognize the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance,” Sullivan told a White House briefing. ![]() officials have said Washington will provide thousands of the rounds, but provided no specific numbers. The unexploded rounds, which often litter battlefields and populated civilian areas, cause unintended deaths. will send a version of the munition that has a reduced “dud rate,” meaning fewer of the smaller bomblets fail to explode. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. leaders debated the thorny issue for months, before Biden made the final decision this week. as a way to get Kyiv critically needed ammunition to help bolster its offensive and push through Russian front lines. The munitions - which are bombs that open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets - are seen by the U.S. It was hailed on Twitter by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked Biden for “a timely, broad and much-needed defense aid package” that will “bring Ukraine closer to victory over the enemy, and democracy to victory over dictatorship.” The move was met with divided reactions from Congress, as some Democrats criticized the plan while some Republicans backed it. He said “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition” and the cluster bombs will provide a temporary fix to help stop Russian tanks. He added that he ultimately took the Defense Department’s recommendation to provide the munitions and discussed the matter with allies and with lawmakers on the Hill. ![]() “It took me a while to be convinced to do it,” said Biden in a CNN interview. would send a weapon into Ukraine that more than two-thirds of alliance members have banned because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. The decision comes on the eve of the NATO summit in Lithuania, where Biden is likely to face questions from allies on why the U.S. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden on Friday defended what he said was a “difficult decision” to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, a move the administration said was key to the fight and buttressed by Ukraine’s promise to use the controversial bombs carefully. ![]()
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