US senator raises concerns about cluster bombs for Ukraine

The US said on July 7 it would provide Kiev with cluster bombs, which are banned in many countries, as part of a new $800 million aid package, bringing total US military aid to more than $40 billion since February 2022.

Cluster bombs, a new type of weapon that the US will send to Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

Human rights groups and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have questioned the US decision.

Senator Kaine said there were “some real concerns” about the decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine because it could make it easier for other countries to violate international conventions on munitions.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Sunday that Ukraine had given written assurances that it would not use cluster bombs in Russia or in populated areas.

Cluster munitions are banned by more than 100 countries. However, Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Production, Stockpiling, Use and Transfer of Cluster Munitions.

Small cluster bombs are often dropped in large numbers. Unexploded bombs can pose a danger decades after a conflict ends.

Rep. Lee urged the Biden administration to reconsider the move. “Cluster munitions should never have been used. This is a red line,” she said on Sunday, adding that the US risked losing “moral leadership” by sending cluster munitions to Ukraine.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby defended the decision and said the US was very focused on mine clearance efforts in Ukraine.

The chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, said Ukraine's counter-offensive was slow and cluster bombs could be a "game changer" for the Ukrainians.

Hoang Nam (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cac-nghi-si-my-neu-quan-ngai-ve-viec-gui-bom-chum-cho-ukraine-post255539.html