![]() That is intolerable to us.”Īccording to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some cluster munitions leave behind bomblets that have a high rate of failure to explode - up to 40 percent in some cases. 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. The unexploded rounds, which often litter battlefields and populated civilian areas, cause unintended deaths. Sullivan defended the decision, saying the US will send a version of the munition that has a reduced “dud rate,” meaning fewer of the smaller bomblets fail to explode. ![]() US leaders debated the thorny issue for months, before Biden made the final decision this week. The munitions - which are bombs that open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets - are seen by the US as a way to get Kyiv critically needed ammunition to help bolster its offensive and push through Russian front lines. The decision comes on the eve of the NATO summit in Lithuania, where President Joe Biden is likely to face questions from allies on why the US would send a weapon into Ukraine that more than two-thirds of alliance members have banned because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. WASHINGTON D.C.: The Biden administration will provide thousands of cluster munitions to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday, vowing the US will not leave Ukraine defenseless and that Kyiv has promised to use the controversial munitions carefully.
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