Biden officials are whispering behind the scenes about a possible munitions dump to Ukraine for its war effort against Russia.
A New York Times report found that Ukraine could possibly get cluster munitions from the Biden administration.
These munitions are widely banned, specifically because of the collateral damage they cause.
Bold Move
Cluster munitions are one of the more controversial weapons of war.
They were first introduced in WWII and include “rockets, bombs, missiles and artillery projectiles that break apart midair and scatter smaller munitions over a large area.”
The problem is that the blast cannot be controlled, so they generally result in civilian casualties if they are used in populated zones.
They are also among the highest failure rates to detonate among weapons.
Point being, the bomblets can linger, possibly detonated at a later date and harming more innocent people.
Brian Castner, the weapons expert on Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Team, stated, “There’s just not a responsible way to use cluster munitions.”
In 2008, a treaty was signed by more than 100 countries to ban the use of cluster munitions, but the United States, Russia, and Ukraine are not on that list.
Since that treaty was signed, virtually the entire global stockpile of this specific weapon has been destroyed, but the United States still has its supply.
Ukraine wants this weapon, and it says it will use it strategically, but there is still the danger of the munitions lingering after the war effort is over, possibly injuring civilians who come back into areas that were previous war zones.
Human Rights Watch Arms Advocacy Director Mary Wareham stated, “Transferring cluster munitions disregards the substantial danger they pose to civilians and undermines the global effort to ban them.”
If Joe Biden approves this transfer, he turns the United States into a global villain.
Regardless, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for restoration, is pushing for the weapon.
He stated, “It’s our territory. I understand how it’s complicated with all these conventions.
“Our allies, the U.S., many other countries, they have millions of rounds of such type.
“Again, we will wait, wait, wait, and suddenly one day, probably, we will receive such type of munitions.”
Source: New York Times
