Allies oppose the US plan.
Three U.S. officials told Reuters on July 6 that a new package of U.S. weapons aid to Ukraine, including cluster munitions, is expected to be announced as early as July 7. They also said the matter has been under serious consideration for at least a week.
According to sources cited by The New York Times , several top officials in the U.S. administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, recommended that President Joe Biden take this step during a meeting of national security officials last week, although they themselves felt apprehensive.
The unexploded tail section of a 300mm rocket, apparently containing a cluster munition, in Lysychansk, Ukraine, on April 11, 2022.
The cluster bombs that the US is preparing to send are believed to be fired from 155mm howitzers, typically releasing a large number of smaller bombs inside, capable of indiscriminately killing innocent people over a wide area, threatening civilian lives. These unexploded smaller bombs pose a danger for years after the conflict ends.
In 2008, more than 100 countries signed an international treaty banning the use, stockpiling, or transfer of cluster bombs, including most of America's closest allies such as the UK, Germany, and France. Meanwhile, the US, Russia, and Ukraine have not signed, arguing that there are situations where this type of weapon must be used.
Top German officials on July 7 voiced their opposition to the US plan. "I have read the media reports. For us, as a member state, the Oslo Accords will apply," Reuters quoted German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as saying in Vienna, Austria, referring to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). This convention was signed in Oslo, Norway, in December 2008 and came into effect in August 2010.
"Germany has signed the convention, so it's not our choice," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius commented in Bern, Switzerland, on the same day, referring to the CCM.
Russia did not immediately comment on the US plan. However, in late March, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned the US against sending cluster bombs to Ukraine, saying the move could escalate the conflict, according to RT.
Czech Republic increases support for Ukraine.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on July 7 that his country would send combat helicopters to Ukraine and train Kyiv's pilots to fly the advanced US-made F-16 fighter jets.
"The Czech Republic will provide additional combat helicopters and hundreds of thousands of units of large-caliber ammunition... We will also help train (Ukrainian) pilots, including F-16 pilots, and provide flight simulators so that training can take place in Ukraine," Fiala told reporters after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Prague, according to AFP.
According to Prime Minister Fiala, the Czech Republic will support Ukraine's efforts to join both the EU and NATO. "I believe that Ukraine's future is in the EU, Ukraine's future is in NATO, and this will ensure that a situation like the one we are experiencing in Europe will not happen again. The Czech Republic is ready to provide maximum support," Fiala said at a joint press conference, according to Reuters.
President Zelensky is on a tour of NATO member countries in Europe, beginning on July 6th in Bulgaria, a major arms producer. He then traveled to Prague to meet with Prime Minister Fiala and Czech President Petr Pavel, a former NATO general. In Prague, he continued his call for Western support in long-range weapons, stating that this now depends solely on the United States.
"Without long-range weapons, it's difficult to both attack and defend... First of all, we want to talk about long-range systems with the US, and right now this depends solely on them," Zelensky commented at a press conference in Prague.
After Prague, Zelensky traveled to Slovakia on July 7th. The Ukrainian president is then expected to visit Türkiye and hold talks with his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Kremlin said on the same day that Russia is closely monitoring the meeting, according to RIA Novosti.
The Kremlin has also not ruled out the possibility of Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting in the near future.
According to RIA, the Turkish authorities frequently emphasize that Erdogan is the only world leader who maintains regular contact with both Putin and Zelensky. These exchanges concern not only the Black Sea grain deal but also the exchange of prisoners between the parties.
Ukraine declares it is advancing in Bakhmut.
Ukrainian forces have advanced more than 1 kilometer in the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk province, according to Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the country's military.
"The defense forces continue to maintain the initiative there, putting pressure on the enemy, conducting offensive operations, advancing along the northern and southern flanks... Specifically, in the past day, they have advanced more than 1 km," Reuters quoted Cherevatyi as saying on Ukrainian television on July 7 regarding the situation in Bakhmut.
General Oleksander Syrskyi, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, also stated that the country's troops were advancing towards Bakhmut. "The defending forces are moving forward," he said, adding that they had recaptured some territory but provided no further details.
Another Ukrainian military spokesman said Ukrainian forces had achieved a "local victory" near the village of Klishchiivka, southwest of Bakhmut. Russia still controls Bakhmut, but both sides say fighting is intense in the area, and Ukrainian forces hope to be able to encircle the city.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on July 7 that its forces had repelled 10 Ukrainian attacks in the direction of Donetsk over the past day, resulting in more than 420 Ukrainian servicemen killed or wounded.
Source link
Comment (0)