Relief in Kiev, outrage and threats in Moscow, some clear criticism from NATO countries: the US commitment to deliver cluster munitions to Ukraine is causing controversial reactions.
Russia has sharply criticized the US-announced delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine and has responded with threats. But several NATO countries also expressed concerns and, in some cases, clearly distanced themselves from the US government’s move. Ukraine, on the other hand, welcomed the announcement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked US President Joe Biden for a “much-needed defense assistance package” that “will bring Ukraine closer to defeating the enemy and democracy to defeating dictatorship”. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov wrote on Twitter that the US decision would save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and help liberate occupied territories. The ammunition will not be used “on the officially recognized territory of Russia”. Resnikov assured that Ukraine would keep accurate records of the operation and exchange information with its partners.
Sharp criticism from Moscow
The Russian Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, described the planned delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine as another “blatant revelation of the aggressive anti-Russian course taken by the USA”. The move is aimed at “maximum prolongation of the conflict in Ukraine and a war to the ‘last Ukrainian’,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in a comment.
More civilians would be killed by the cluster munitions, she said. The delivery is a sign of desperation in view of the “failure of the widely advertised Ukrainian offensive,” it said. Zakharova called the promise of the Kiev leadership that the ammunition would only be used against military targets worthless.
Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev went even further in his reaction. He accused the US of provoking a nuclear war. The delivery of cluster munitions and the promise of Ukraine joining NATO show that Biden has exhausted all other resources, Medvedev, who is currently deputy chief of Russia’s National Security Council, wrote on Telegram. But this would lead to World War III, he threatened. Russia’s ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, had previously warned of the Third World War due to the US’ ever-deeper involvement in the conflict.
Guterres against the use of cluster munitions
UN Secretary-General António Guterres was more cautious, but also opposed to the US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine in the war against Russia. “The Secretary-General supports the Convention Against Cluster Munitions, which, as you know, was passed 15 years ago,” Guterres spokesman Farhan Haq said. Guterres wanted states to adhere to this convention. “That’s why he’s against the continued use of cluster munitions on battlefields,” Haq said.
According to the UN, 111 countries are part of the Convention Against Cluster Bombs. Many countries in Europe in particular have signed the convention, which bans the manufacture, stockpiling, use and transfer of cluster munitions. However, the USA, Russia and Ukraine are not among the signatories. In the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, both sides use cluster munitions.
Spain rejects US decision
Spain’s defense minister, Margarita Robles, made it unmistakably clear to journalists that while she said “yes” to Ukraine’s legitimate defense, she said “no” to cluster munitions. Your country’s position is that certain weapons and bombs should not be supplied under any circumstances. The other decision was one of the US government and not NATO, of which Spain is also a member.
Great Britain kept a cautious distance from the US decision. In his reaction, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made it clear that his country would remain opposed to cluster munitions. “The UK is a signatory to a convention banning the manufacture or use of cluster munitions – and we discourage their use,” Sunak told Sky News.
Mixed reactions in Germany
In Germany, too, there were different reactions. From the point of view of the CDU foreign politician Jürgend Hardt, Germany should not criticize the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine. Because Germany failed to ramp up the production of classic ammunition and supply Ukraine with it. “If we now say how to ban cluster munitions, we make a slim foot,” said Hardt NDR. The SPD politician Roth spoke of a very difficult discussion. Ukraine is in an exceptional situation and urgently needs ammunition, said the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag WDR. But he hopes that Ukraine can do without cluster munitions as soon as possible.
Green politician Anton Hofreiter opposed the US plans to equip the Ukrainian army with cluster munitions. “I reject the delivery of cluster munitions. It is rightly outlawed,” said the chairman of the European Committee in the Bundestag of the dpa news agency. The FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann said that Russia is already using cluster bombs and that she understands very well that Ukraine is asking for them. The chairwoman of the Bundestag Defense Committee told “Welt TV” that the ammunition was outlawed. You have to “take a close look again, of course”.
Cluster munitions are fired from the air or from the ground using rockets or bombs that burst in mid-air. This releases many small explosive devices, which are spread over a large area so that they hit as many targets as possible. According to non-governmental organizations, there are said to be more than 200 different types of cluster munitions.
However, they often do not explode and remain a danger to people in the region as duds – also because they are not recognizable as dangerous bombs, especially for children, and can be mistaken for toys. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some types of cluster munitions produce up to 40 percent duds.