The US will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package
US President Joe Biden approved the provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine on Friday according to people familiar with the decision, the US publication the Washington Post and the Associated Press report.
The Pentagon is now expected to send thousands of them as part of a new military aid package worth up to €733 million for the war effort against Russia.
The announcement comes despite widespread concerns that the bombs can cause civilian casualties and sparked a call from the United Nations to both Russia and Ukraine to avoid using them.
Proponents of banning cluster bombs say they kill indiscriminately and endanger civilians long after their use. Groups have raised alarms about Russia’s use of the munitions in Ukraine.
A convention banning the use of cluster bombs has been joined by more than 120 countries who agreed not to use, produce, transfer or stockpile the weapons and to clear them after they’ve been used.
The United States, Russia and Ukraine are among the countries that have not signed on.
