has “hundreds of thousands” of cluster munitions available for Ukraine at the low dud rate. While he declined to say how many the U.S.
is confident the rate of unexploded duds is below 2.35 percent. He said the bombs have been tested five times between 19, and the U.S. will give Ukraine the most modern cluster munitions that have far lower dud rates. human rights office, said Friday “the use of such munitions should stop immediately and not be used in any place.”Ĭolin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, said the U.S. That is intolerable to us.”īut Marta Hurtado, speaking for the U.N. But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians, because Ukraine does not have enough artillery. “This is why we’ve deferred the decision for as long as we could. “We recognize the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance,” he told a White House briefing. will provide thousands of the rounds, but provided no specific numbers. The unexploded rounds, which often litter battlefields and populated civilian areas, cause unintended deaths. will send a version of the munition that has a reduced “dud rate,” meaning fewer of the smaller bomblets fail to explode. Sullivan defended the decision, saying the U.S. leaders debated the thorny issue for months, before Biden made the final decision this week. as a way to get Kyiv critically needed ammunition to help bolster its offensive and push through Russian front lines. The munitions – which are bombs that open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets – are seen by the U.S. The move was met with divided reactions from Congress, as some Democrats criticized the plan while some Republicans backed it. But, he said, “The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition,” and the cluster bombs will provide a temporary fix to help stop Russian tanks.
“It took me a while to be convinced to do it,” said Biden, adding that he discussed the matter with allies and with lawmakers on the Hill. Biden, in a CNN interview, said it was a difficult decision, but he ultimately took the Defense Department's recommendation to provide the bombs.
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