US will send cluster munitions to Ukraine, drawing criticism from rights groups
- National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said US President Joe Biden had approved the decision, describing it as the ‘right thing to do’
- The move has drawn criticism from rights groups due to the danger unexploded bomblets pose even after a conflict has ended
The United States announced on Friday that it will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine for the first time as Kyiv pushes ahead with a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
A new military aid package “will provide Ukraine with additional artillery systems and ammunition, including highly effective and reliable dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM)”, the Pentagon said in a statement, referring to cluster munitions.
There is “a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians because Ukraine does not have enough artillery,” Sullivan told journalists.
Kyiv “has provided written assurances that it is going to use these in a very careful way that is aimed at minimising any risk to civilians”, he said, noting that Ukraine’s government “has every incentive to minimise risk to civilians, because it’s their citizens”.