US decision to provide cluster bombs to Ukraine

Washington/Moscow: A victory for Russia would be worse than the loss of life due to cluster bombs, said the United States and supported the decision to give ‘cluster bombs’ to Ukraine. However, US’s allied nations and Russia have criticised this decision. Besides, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Canada have expressed strong displeasure over it. Sources have indicated that in the next few days, the United States will announce $800 million in arms aid to Ukraine, which will also include ‘cluster bombs’.

Moreover, the ‘cluster bombs’, which can be used via rockets and missiles, consist of hundreds of small ‘bomblets’. With its help, it can attack and damage a large area. Despite this, many of these ‘bomblets’ remain buried in the ground due to non-explosion during the attack. Due to such ‘bomblets’, civilian casualties may emerge during the postwar period. For this reason, more than 100 countries have signed an international agreement against using such weapons, which are considered very deadly. However, this does not include the United States, Russia and Ukraine.

Furthermore, the information about the complete failure of the first phase of Ukraine’s ‘counter offensive’ launched against Russia at the beginning of last month has surfaced continuously. In such a situation, it is being said that the ‘cluster bombs’ are being supplied to Ukraine in an attempt to hide this failure. While speaking on this issue, US President Joe Biden said that the decision to give ‘cluster bombs’ to Ukraine was due to the near exhaustion of its stock of conventional weapons. On the other hand, Colin Kahl, a senior US Defense Department official, said that Russia’s victory would be worse than the loss of life and property due to the ‘cluster bomb’.

cluster bombs

However, Russia and the allied nations of the United States have strongly criticised this US decision. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova released a video of former US spokeswoman Jen Psaki. In this, Jen Psaki has said using ‘cluster bomb’ would be a ‘war crime’. By mentioning this, Russia has also said that the United States is trying to escalate the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia slammed the US, saying the US had been forced to take the decision.

Meanwhile, US ally nations, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and France, have expressed clear opposition to using cluster bombs. These countries have said they have signed relevant agreements to oppose its use. Thus, analysts have claimed that this issue may increase the tension between the United States and its allied nations in the future.

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