President Biden’s approval was confirmed by the Pentagon after reactions from NATO, Germany and…
The President of the United States has approved the transfer Cluster bombs for Ukraine to counter the Russian invasion, despite the fact that it is a weapon that is banned in many countries.
President Joe Biden’s approval was confirmed by the Pentagon on Friday evening.
Even before it was confirmed, the decision had earned opposition from some allies who have ratified the Convention on Stray Ammunition, as well as the neutrality of NATO, which is preparing a key summit with Ukraine next week in Vilnius at the top of the agenda.
The German foreign minister spoke out against the use of cluster bombs, recalling that he represented one of the 111 countries that are part of the Oslo Accords and have ratified said convention.
The German position was further reinforced by statements by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Bern, Switzerland: “Germany has signed the agreement, so it is not an option for us.”
According to the New York Times, France has also opposed the use of this type of weapon, pointing out that, like Portugal, it is one of the countries that have ratified the Convention and that twelve other signatory states, including Angola, have joined.
The United States, Russia and Ukraine are not party to this convention against the use of cluster weapons, which include cluster bombs.
In light of this decision, which has now been made official by the Biden administration, the NATO Secretary General said that the alliance, of which the US is a very important part, has no position on the issue.
Nevertheless, Jens Stoltenberg reminded that cluster bombs are already in use in Ukraine.
“Russia used them in the invasion and Ukraine used them to ward off aggression,” the EuroAtlantic Alliance spokesman argued, adding that supplying these munitions to Ukraine must be a decision of each government, in this case the North American.
The President of Ukraine, in turn, said this Friday that it would be “difficult” to fight Russia without longrange weapons. “Without longrange weapons, it’s difficult to conduct not only offensive missions, but, to be honest, also defensive ones,” Zelenskyy said in the Czech capital.
The Ukrainian leader admitted that he was “discussing the matter with the United States,” but stressed that the decision to deploy longrange weapons rested solely with Washington.
The Pentagon announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth more than 730 million euros, including controversial cluster munitions said to have been used in the downing of the MH17 civilian plane over Ukraine or in the Russian attack at the Kramatorsk train station in April last year, among other things.
Cluster bombs are munitions that are broken up into multiple explosives before hitting the target, spreading the blast over a larger area and reaching places that other more conventional projectile types cannot.
These projectiles are known to inflict large amounts of collateral damage beyond their intended target. Munitions don’t always activate after being fired, posing a danger to civilians who might interact with them on the ground, especially children, human rights organizations like Humans Rights Watch warn.
More guns are on the way
The new military aid package for the Ukrainian armed forces, worth more than 730 million euros, includes cluster bombs, which are defined as “enhanced conventional multipurpose munitions” (DPICM), as well as 155 million artillery shells and more artillery shells with a caliber of 105 millimeters.
The new American military package for Ukraine also includes other Patriot antiaircraft systems and ammunition for highly mobile artillery systems, Stryker armored vehicles for transporting soldiers, highprecision air ammunition, ammunition and explosive systems for clearing roads, as well as various spare parts for salvaging various equipment and even operational support mechanisms .