US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on July 7 that Washington would transfer cluster munitions to Kyiv.
It is noted that the supply of cluster munitions to Kyiv will become an intermediate option at the time of increasing the production of artillery shells in the United States, the stocks of which have been depleted during the conflict in Ukraine. According to Sullivan, Washington does not intend to “leave Ukraine unarmed.”
Ukraine has given guarantees to use cluster munitions responsibly
As Sullivan stressed, the United States received written assurances from Ukraine that cluster munitions would be used “with caution” to avoid risk to civilians.
Amanda Sloat, senior director for Europe at the National Security Council at the White House, also confirmed that Ukraine has given guarantees to responsibly use cluster munitions requested from the United States.
In addition, Ukraine has committed itself to continue demining the territories where cluster munitions will be used.
The cost of the aid package, which included cluster munitions, will be $800 million
Under Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs Colin Cole announced a new aid package for Ukraine, which included cluster munitions for 155 mm artillery pieces, 32 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and the same number of Stryker armored personnel carriers. The package is estimated at $800 million.
In Russia, the transfer of cluster munitions was called the next step towards the escalation of the conflict
Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that the supply of cluster munitions would be another step towards escalation.
Military political scientist Alexander Perendzhiev told Izvestia that the transfer of cluster munitions is due to the fact that other types of weapons do not work against the Russian army. The expert stressed that they are weapons against civilians. According to him, cluster munitions are dangerous because they cover large areas, and do not deliver pinpoint strikes on military targets. Also, this type of weapon has a damaging effect after the explosion.
The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and the chairman of the LDPR party, Leonid Slutsky, said that Russia would certainly respond to the supply of cluster munitions to Kyiv. Any supply of military equipment from the West is still a legitimate target for the Armed Forces (AF) of the Russian Federation, he added.
The UN opposed the use of cluster munitions
UN Secretary-General António Guterres opposed the use of cluster munitions on the battlefield. It is noted that he supports the Convention on the Prohibition of Cluster Munitions and wants countries to comply with the provisions of this convention.
The use of cluster munitions is prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It entered into force on August 1, 2010, it was signed by 123 countries, but only 110 ratified it. Of the European countries, the convention was not signed by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Greece, Georgia, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland and Estonia.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Kyiv against the backdrop of a special operation by the Russian Federation to protect Donbass, the decision on which was made after the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
#United #States #transfer #cluster #munitions #Ukraine #Main