WASHINGTON: The United States has decided to send cluster bombs to Ukraine despite concerns about the deployment of munitions banned by more than 100 countries.
A munitions package including cluster bombs fired from a 155-millimetre Howitzer cannon is likely to be announced today (Friday), multiple Western media oulets reported.
Several key aides of US President Joe Biden, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken recommended the United States send the ammunitions, at a meeting of high national security officials last week, according to New York Times.
Cluster bombs release large numbers of little bomblets across a wide area posing a big threat to civilians both during the war and long afterwards due to some of the bomblets will fail to explode.
More than 120 countries have inked the 2008 United Nations Convention on Cluster Munitions (UNCCM) to ban their use including some of Ukraine and the US’s important allies like Britain and France.
The US, Ukraine, and Russia have not inked that treaty although a 2009 law prohibits the US from exporting cluster bombs with bomblet failure rates above one percent, which covers virtually the whole US military stockpile. Biden, however, can override such bans in cases deemed in the interests of US national security.
Earlier, Human Rights Watch criticised Ukraine and Russia for their use of cluster weapons in the war.
The rights group said Russia had extensively used cluster weapons, causing many civilian casualities and serious injuries, while Ukrainian cluster munition rocket strikes on the then-Russian-occupied city of Izyum in 2022 had claimed at least eight lives of civilians and injured 15 more. Kiyv told the rights body it had not used cluster weapons in or around the city at the time, according to Al Jazeera.
HRW acting arms director Mary Wareham said that cluster weapons used by Russia and Ukraine are killing innocent citizens now and would continue to do so for many years. Both countries should immediately stop using these weapons them not try to get more of these indiscriminate munitions.
Ukraine demands for new stocks
Despite the humanitarian concerns, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, and other top officials have been demanding for new stocks of cluster munitions arguing they are the best way to break through the Moscow’s trenches that are slowing Kyiv’s counteroffensive. Kyiv is also running low on conventional artillery shells.
