USA, 9th July 2023: On Friday President Joe Biden described the contentious arms shipment to Ukraine as a “very difficult decision”. In response, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Spain all stated their opposition to the use of the weapons.
More than 100 countries have banned cluster bombs due to the threat they represent to populations.
They often emit a large number of tiny bomblets that can kill indiscriminately across a large region.
The explosives have also sparked debate due to their failure – or dud – rate. Unexploded bomblets can lurk on the ground for years before detonating indiscriminately.
Biden told CNN in an interview on Friday that he had discussed the decision with allies, which was part of a $800 million (£626 million) military aid package.
The president stated that it took him “a while to be convinced to do it,” but he did so because “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.”
Human rights groups pounced on the decision, with Amnesty International stating that cluster munitions pose a “grave threat to civilian lives, even long after the conflict has ended.”
According to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, American cluster bombs being deployed to Ukraine failed significantly less frequently than Russian cluster bombs currently in use in the conflict.
However, on Saturday, some of the US’s Western allies refused and stated that they did not support the decision.
When questioned about the US decision, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pointed out that the UK is one of 123 nations who have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which restricts the development or use of the weapons and opposes their deployment.
His remarks came ahead of a meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to travel in the UK on Sunday ahead of a Nato summit in Lithuania.
The United States, Ukraine, and Russia have not signed on to the treaty, despite the fact that both Moscow and Kiev used cluster bombs during the war.
In the meantime, Germany, a treaty signatory, stated that while it would not give such weapons to Ukraine, it understood the American stance.
