An empty cluster munition container stuck in the ground in a combat zone in Ukraine (archive)
Russia and Ukraine
John Kirby: We’re well aware of the concerns about civilian casualties, but these munitions really do provide a useful battlefield capability.
Posted on: July 09, 2023: 11:51 PM GST Last updated: July 10, 2023: 12:15 AM GST
US Senator Tim Kaine and Democratic Representative Barbara Lee raised concerns Sunday about President Joe Biden’s administration’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine to counter the Russians.
The United States announced on Friday that it would supply the widely banned bombs to Kiev as part of a new $800 million security aid package that brings total US military assistance to more than $40 billion since the war began in February 2022.
Rights groups and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres questioned Washington’s decision on the munitions.
Kane said he had “some real qualms” about the US decision because it could prompt other countries to breach the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of these weapons.
US Senator Tim Kaine
And about the aspects of Ukraine’s use of these bombs, Kane told “Fox News” on Sunday: “They will not use these munitions against Russian civilians.” Kane, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, added that Kiev provided assurances in this context that the White House referred to on Friday.
More than 100 countries ban cluster munitions. Neither Russia, Ukraine nor the United States have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, stockpiling, use and transfer of these weapons.
These bombs usually release large numbers of bomblets that can kill people indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that do not explode pose a threat for decades after the end of the conflict.
For its part, the Biden administration urged me to reconsider this decision. “Cluster bombs should never be used. This is crossing the line,” she told CNN on Sunday. She added that the United States risked losing its “moral leadership” by sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.
Representative Barbara Lee
White House national security spokesman John Kirby defended the decision and said the United States was very focused on demining efforts in Ukraine.
“We are well aware of the concerns about civilian casualties and civilians or children being picked up and harmed by unexploded ordnance,” Kirby said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week”.
“But these munitions really do provide a useful battlefield capability,” he continued. He added that Russia is using cluster munitions in Ukraine and “killing civilians indiscriminately”, while the Ukrainians will use them to defend their lands.
As for Republican Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, he said that the counterattack by Kiev was proceeding slowly and that cluster bombs could be a game-changer for the Ukrainians.
“I’m really happy that the administration finally agreed to do this,” McCall said in a statement to CNN on Sunday.
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2023-07-09 19:51:00
