Cluster bombs, which the US has decided to supply to Ukraine, could mean a further escalation of the conflict. This is supported by Moscow’s leadership, but many European countries have also expressed their opposition to the decision made in Washington over the weekend. The assurance from Kiev that the bombs will not be dropped on Russian territory but will serve to liberate areas occupied by Kremlin troops is of little use. On the other hand, neither the Americans nor the Ukrainians, let alone Vladimir Putin, have ever ratified the convention by which more than 120 states have for years committed themselves to refraining from using cluster bombs, a type of “matryoshka” device loaded with numerous smaller munitions to hit a larger area than the main blast. Their greatest danger lies in their longer range and in the fact that the “sub-bombs” often remain unexploded and can have devastating effects in the long run.
Of course, the reactions of the two parties involved were different. “Cluster munitions are extremely important for Ukraine. They somehow compensate for our shell deficit and partially restore parity on the battlefield,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted today. Moscow, on the other hand, used arsonist Dmitry Medvedev to target Joe Biden, whom the former president described as a “grandfather with one foot in the grave” intent on fueling a nuclear escalation. “You could say he’s a sick old man suffering from senile dementia. Like he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Perhaps the dying grandfather, obsessed with morbid fantasies, simply decided to walk away, resulting in a nuclear Armageddon that took half of humanity to the afterlife.
However, Medvedev forgets that his army has repeatedly used cluster bombs during the 16 months of the conflict and that his country has never signed the international convention banning them. As for our country, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto recalled that Rome had signed the ban on these dangerous ammunition, but also stressed that Russia uses them extensively in Ukraine. Giorgia Meloni herself reiterated that “Italy abides by the international convention prohibiting the production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions,” but also stressed “Russia’s condemnation of aggressive war, full and constant support for the Resistance of Ukraine, and commitment towards the allies. “Build a new and stronger security model for Europe”.
Meanwhile, Russia attacked Turkey over yesterday’s delivery of Azov battalion prisoners of war during Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit: “It is a violation of the current agreements” of both Kiev and Ankara. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov railed against Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Russia has not been informed of the transfer of the Azov commanders from Turkey,” and this decision by Turkey, hitherto keen to maintain some equidistance between Russia and Ukraine, could have serious diplomatic implications. However, a rocket was shot down on the spot today, which was launched from Kiev in the direction of Kerch and the bridge between Russia and Crimea. Traffic on the main artery was closed for a long time and it was only in the afternoon that the situation on the peninsula returned to normal.