Moral Authority?: The US Response to Criticism Over Delivery of Cluster Munitions to Kiev Sputnik

The United States National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivandenied that his country faced a moral dilemma over the supply of cluster munitions to Kiev.

“The idea that providing Ukraine with a weapon so that it can defend its homeland … in any way challenges our moral authority, I think is questionable,” Sullivan said in an interview with NBC News.

“Our moral authority does not derive from our signing the Convention against Cluster Munitions. It’s not us, it wasn’t us (…) and neither is Ukraine,” he said. Washington’s position, published by Sullivan, comes after several days of criticism of the Pentagon for the high level of danger of this weapon, which is banned in more than 100 countries and whose use is opposed by the United Nations.

“The United States has always condemned those who use cluster bombs as evil. But now we send them to action? Nothing good will come of this. Fate loves irony but hates hypocrisy,” wrote the owner of Twitter and Tesla on his social networks.

This type of weapon is banned by the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which has been ratified by 123 countries. The United States, Ukraine, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and South Korea have not signed the convention.

For its part, the Chinese government called for restraint and caution in transferring cluster munitions from one country to another, since “irresponsible supply (…) could easily lead to humanitarian problems.”