Russia said on Saturday that the US decision to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine was a sign of “weakness” that made Washington “competent” in the deaths of civilians such weapons could cause.
“The deployment of fragmentation weapons is a desperate act and a sign of weakness in the face of the failure of Ukraine’s much-vaunted counteroffensive,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
The…
Russia said on Saturday that the US decision to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine was a sign of “weakness” that made Washington “competent” in the deaths of civilians such weapons could cause.
“The deployment of fragmentation weapons is a desperate act and a sign of weakness in the face of the failure of Ukraine’s much-vaunted counteroffensive,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
Russian diplomacy condemned a “cynical attempt to prolong the agony of the current Ukrainian authorities without concern for civilian casualties” from these bombs, which kill blindly before or after impact and scatter small explosive charges.
“By providing cluster munitions, Washington becomes the de facto accomplice of the mining industry and bears full responsibility for the deaths caused by the blasts, including the deaths of Russian and Ukrainian children,” she added.
These weapons are banned in several countries, notably European countries that signed the 2008 Oslo Accords, to which neither the United States, Ukraine, nor Russia are party.
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Their use is highly controversial, as the charges they spread are alleged to have caused many civilian casualties.
US President Joe Biden said the decision to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine was “very difficult” but “the right decision”.
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