US Moves Forward With Cluster Munitions For Kyiv

The United States announced Friday that it would send cluster munitions to Ukraine from Pentagon stocks as part of an $800 million security package.

Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said the decision to provide cluster bombs had not been an easy one for the U.S. or Ukraine. He said Ukraine had provided assurances it would use these munitions with the utmost care because it knows the risk they pose to Ukrainian citizens. But ultimately, Ukraine must defend itself from Russian troops entrenched in Ukraine.

“We will continue to support Ukraine along the way. We base our security assistance decisions on Ukraine’s needs on the ground,” said Sullivan, noting that there also were consequences to civilians if Russian troops and tanks rolled over Ukrainian positions.

Biden’s decision circumvents U.S. law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1% by allocating the munitions from existing defense stocks under the Foreign Assistance Act. This clause allows Biden to provide aid once he deems that such a provision is the U.S. national security interest.

The move comes amid concerns about Kyiv’s slow counteroffensive against entrenched Russian troops and diminishing Western stocks of conventional artillery.

More than 100 nations have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions banning such weapons. The United States, Russia and Ukraine are not part of the convention. Russia and Ukraine reportedly have used such weapons against each other.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is against the use of cluster munitions, U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said Friday. And Germany, a member of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and a U.S. ally, expressed its opposition to such a move.

Human Rights Watch has also urged the United States not to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, and it has asked Russia and Ukraine to “immediately stop” using cluster weapons.

Ukraine has asked for cluster munitions to be used against entrenched Russian troops.

“Undoubtedly, the transfer of additional volumes of shells to Ukraine is a very significant contribution to the acceleration of deoccupation procedures,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak said Friday.

NATO-Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday reiterated his call for long-range weapons against Russian forces that invaded his country.

“Without long-range weapons, it is difficult not only to carry out an offensive mission, but also, honestly, to conduct a defensive operation. It is very difficult. This means that you are defending your land and you cannot reach the appropriate distance to destroy your enemy, i.e., the enemy has a distant advantage,” Zelenskyy said while visiting Prague.

Zelenskyy’s Prague visit was part of his tour to NATO countries before the two-day NATO summit next week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

During Zelenskyy’s stop in Slovakia, Slovak President Zuzana Caputova said the question regarding Ukraine’s entrance into NATO was when, not if. Zelenskyy has acknowledged that Kyiv is unlikely to be able to join NATO while at war with Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed his view Friday that Ukraine would eventually become a NATO member, but not before the war was over. The alliance remains divided over how fast Ukraine will move toward NATO accession, with some countries concerned that such a step could take NATO closer to war with Russia.

“The president has repeatedly said that there is an open door, that there is a pathway for Ukraine,” Sullivan said. “We are going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes and provide them an exceptional quantity of arms and capabilities, both from ourselves and from allies and partners, but that we are not seeking to start World War III.”

Stoltenberg said that when Biden and his counterparts meet next week in Vilnius, they also will agree to boost defense spending, as alliance members pour weapons, ammunition and other support, such as uniforms and medical equipment, into Ukraine.

“For 500 days, Moscow has brought death and destruction to the heart of Europe, seeking to destroy Ukraine and divide NATO,” Stoltenberg told reporters Friday. “At the summit, we will make Ukraine even stronger, and set out a vision for its future.”

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara, VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin and VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.