America will supply cluster bombs to Ukraine for the first time

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The US will supply cluster munitions to Ukraine for the first time after President Joe Biden approved the move as part of a new military aid package, US officials familiar with the decision said on Friday.

The move to send the cluster munitions, which has been banned by many countries, comes as Washington and Western allies seek to boost Ukraine’s counter-offensive and help its forces retake occupied Russian territory. Trying to. The package will be announced ahead of the NATO summit in Lithuania next week.

Both Russia and Ukraine are already using munitions in conflict after holding Soviet-era stockpiles, but Moscow has used them to particularly devastating effect, including against civilian targets. . The Ukrainian military has deployed them primarily to clear Russian defenses.

The American weapons would be the first time Kiev has received cluster munitions from a Western partner. The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment.

Ukraine is pressing its Western partners to replenish its dwindling stockpile of cluster munitions as part of its retaliatory strike. Military and political leaders argue that the munitions will help its troops clear trenches from Russia’s maze, providing a greater opportunity for success.

Cluster munitions are weapons that break up in the air and spread small bombs over an area the size of a football pitch. These are often fired by artillery but can also be dropped from the air.

The bombs are designed to detonate on impact, scattering high-velocity pieces of shrapnel. But according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, a high percentage of submissions – between 10 percent and 40 percent – ​​often fail to detonate, effectively turning them into landmines that pose a threat for years after their initial use. can generate.

This has made them a highly controversial form of weapon, which the United Nations has called on both Russia and Ukraine to refrain from using.

Mykola Belyaskov, research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, a Ukrainian government think tank, said the munitions allow Ukraine’s forces to “effectively” target “manpower and weapons”.

“We can entice the Russians to take open positions in anticipation of our attacks and then target them with cluster munitions,” he said.

Human rights groups have criticized the US decision to provide war materials, pointing out that they pose a significant risk to civilians long after the war is over.

“If the goal is an independent Ukraine where children can grow up in safety, then using cluster munitions is not the way to get there,” said Andrew Strohlen, European media and editorial director at Human Rights Watch.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, attacked HRW, accusing it of being sympathetic to Moscow.

“What is this joke? a prank? Has the invasion of Russian agents in various global ‘offices’ finally eroded the moral imperative? He tweeted.

“Weapons, more weapons, and more weapons, including cluster munitions. And there was no talk in favor of ‘Russian plans and concerns,” he said.

Michael Kaufman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, said that for the Ukraine counteroffensive, artillery ammunition was “like sand in an hourglass”. “Releasing the cluster bombs would relieve time pressure by opening up a large supply of ammunition to continue the offensive”, said Kofman, adding that acquiring this type of weapon would be more difficult than other recently acquired Western weapons. was “far more important” than

One advantage of cluster munitions is that the US has large supplies that it can quickly replenish It has about 3 million rounds in its stockpileMost of them are in affiliated bases in America and Europe.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that while NATO had no formal position on cluster munitions, all allies supported providing weapons to Ukraine and it was up to each one to decide what types of weapons to provide.

“When it comes to cluster munitions, there are differences of opinion among the Allies,” Stoltenberg said. “It is up to these individual associates to make these decisions. NATO has no status as an alliance.”

Additional reporting by John Paul Rathbone in London

Get free updates from the war in Ukraine

we will send you one myFT Daily Digest Latest Email Rounding war in ukraine News every morning.

The US will supply cluster munitions to Ukraine for the first time after President Joe Biden approved the move as part of a new military aid package, US officials familiar with the decision said on Friday.

The move to send the cluster munitions, which has been banned by many countries, comes as Washington and Western allies seek to boost Ukraine’s counter-offensive and help its forces retake occupied Russian territory. Trying to. The package will be announced ahead of the NATO summit in Lithuania next week.

Both Russia and Ukraine are already using munitions in conflict after holding Soviet-era stockpiles, but Moscow has used them to particularly devastating effect, including against civilian targets. . The Ukrainian military has deployed them primarily to clear Russian defenses.

The American weapons would be the first time Kiev has received cluster munitions from a Western partner. The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment.

Ukraine is pressing its Western partners to replenish its dwindling stockpile of cluster munitions as part of its retaliatory strike. Military and political leaders argue that the munitions will help its troops clear trenches from Russia’s maze, providing a greater opportunity for success.

Cluster munitions are weapons that break up in the air and spread small bombs over an area the size of a football pitch. These are often fired by artillery but can also be dropped from the air.

The bombs are designed to detonate on impact, scattering high-velocity pieces of shrapnel. But according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, a high percentage of submissions – between 10 percent and 40 percent – ​​often fail to detonate, effectively turning them into landmines that pose a threat for years after their initial use. can generate.

This has made them a highly controversial form of weapon, which the United Nations has called on both Russia and Ukraine to refrain from using.

Mykola Belyaskov, research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, a Ukrainian government think tank, said the munitions allow Ukraine’s forces to “effectively” target “manpower and weapons”.

“We can entice the Russians to take open positions in anticipation of our attacks and then target them with cluster munitions,” he said.

Human rights groups have criticized the US decision to provide war materials, pointing out that they pose a significant risk to civilians long after the war is over.

“If the goal is an independent Ukraine where children can grow up in safety, then using cluster munitions is not the way to get there,” said Andrew Strohlen, European media and editorial director at Human Rights Watch.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, attacked HRW, accusing it of being sympathetic to Moscow.

“What is this joke? a prank? Has the invasion of Russian agents in various global ‘offices’ finally eroded the moral imperative? He tweeted.

“Weapons, more weapons, and more weapons, including cluster munitions. And there was no talk in favor of ‘Russian plans and concerns,” he said.

Michael Kaufman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, said that for the Ukraine counteroffensive, artillery ammunition was “like sand in an hourglass”. “Releasing the cluster bombs would relieve time pressure by opening up a large supply of ammunition to continue the offensive”, said Kofman, adding that acquiring this type of weapon would be more difficult than other recently acquired Western weapons. was “far more important” than

One advantage of cluster munitions is that the US has large supplies that it can quickly replenish It has about 3 million rounds in its stockpileMost of them are in affiliated bases in America and Europe.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that while NATO had no formal position on cluster munitions, all allies supported providing weapons to Ukraine and it was up to each one to decide what types of weapons to provide.

“When it comes to cluster munitions, there are differences of opinion among the Allies,” Stoltenberg said. “It is up to these individual associates to make these decisions. NATO has no status as an alliance.”

Additional reporting by John Paul Rathbone in London