US to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs for first time

Shafaq News / The US will supply Ukraine with cluster munitions for the first time after President Joe Biden approved the move as part of a new military aid package, US officials familiar with the decision said on Friday.

The move to send cluster munitions, which are banned by many countries, comes as Washington and western allies try to boost Ukraine’s counteroffensive and help its forces regain occupied Russian territory. The package is set to be announced ahead of next week’s Nato summit in Lithuania.

Both Russia and Ukraine have already been using the munitions in the conflict after retaining Soviet-era stockpiles, but Moscow has used them to especially devastating effect, including against civilian targets. The Ukrainian military has deployed them mainly to clear Russian defences.

The US weapons will be the first time Kyiv has received cluster munitions from a western partner. The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment.

Ukraine is pushing for its western partners to replenish its dwindling stores of cluster munitions as its counteroffensive takes shape. Military and political leaders argue the munitions would help its troops clear Russia’s mazes of trenches, providing a greater opportunity for a breakthrough.

Cluster munitions are weapons that break apart in the air and spread smaller bomblets across an area the size of a football pitch. They are often fired from artillery but can also be dropped from the air.

(Financial Times)