US set to send cluster munitions to Ukraine despite concern
- Cluster munitions could be used against Russian forces entrenched along the front lines in Ukraine
- Human rights groups object to the use of the controversial munitions, citing the danger to civilians
US President Joe Biden has agreed to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, fulfilling a request from President Volodymyr Zelensky despite concern from arms control groups and human rights activists about the potential harm to civilians.
The Biden administration was to announce that it’s providing Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICMs) as part of a new military assistance package set to be announced on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations.
Biden’s decision will be a controversial one because more than 100 countries – including France, Germany, the UK and many other Nato allies – are parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, a 2010 agreement that bans the use and transfer of such weapons.
The US, Russia and Ukraine didn’t sign the agreement, although the US has in the past condemned other countries, including Russia, for using them.
In line with those concerns, congressional mandates block the US from exporting cluster munitions that have a failure rate of more than 1 per cent. DPICMs have a failure rate of about 5 per cent, according to the Congressional Research Service.