US government defends delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine
The US government wants to deliver controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine and is defending itself against criticism of this step. “It’s a difficult decision. It’s a decision we’ve put off. It’s a decision that required a really hard look at the potential harm to civilians,” US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at the White House on Friday. The announcement comes shortly before the NATO summit next week. Sullivan clarified that Ukraine would not join NATO as a result of the summit, referring to the country attacked by Russia’s hopes of joining.
The cluster munitions are part of a new $800 million military aid package. “Russia has used cluster munitions to attack Ukraine since the beginning of the war,” Sullivan said.
Ukraine has committed to demining to mitigate potential harm to civilians.
Ukraine has been demanding the delivery of cluster munitions for some time. Cluster munitions are rockets and bombs that burst in the air over the target and scatter or release many small explosive devices – so-called submunitions. Cluster munitions are controversial above all because a significant percentage of their explosive devices do not detonate but remain on site as duds, thus endangering the population even after a battle has ended. Like more than 100 other countries, Germany has joined a treaty banning cluster munitions – the so-called Oslo Convention. The US, like Ukraine, has not signed the agreement.
Responding to a question about Germany’s position, Sullivan stressed that there were no “cracks” in the unity of NATO. “Quite the opposite: we believe that there is a deep understanding within the alliance.” On Friday, the federal government signaled its understanding of the step with a view to the plans of the US government. “We are certain that our US friends did not take the decision to supply the appropriate ammunition lightly,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
The Pentagon stressed that it would only supply Ukraine with cluster munitions with a low dud rate. Kiev has also pledged not to use the missiles in densely populated urban areas and to record where the ammunition is used. The Pentagon did not want to reveal any further details about the schedule and the exact quantity of the delivery. However, the provision should be made in such a way that it is relevant to the Ukrainian counter-offensive that has already started. The United States says it has hundreds of thousands of the bullets in stock.