Joe Biden under fire for ‘difficult decision’ to send cluster bombs to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden defended his “very difficult decision” to give Ukraine cluster bombs, a weapon notorious for killing civilians.

The president claimed despite his hesitation, he ultimately chose to move forward because the Ukrainian forces were running out of ammunition.

The head of Ukraine applauded the measure as a well-timed step, while a Moscow envoy criticised the US for its “cynical” stance. More than 120 countries prohibit the use of cluster bombs.

President Biden disclosed he had talked with his allies before making the decision, particularly ahead of NATO’s meeting in Lithuania.

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During the regular White House briefing on Friday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan acknowledged officials are aware of the potential danger to civilians posed by unexploded bombs resulting from cluster munitions.

Sullivan explained the decision to defer the choice was made in order to minimise this risk, and the deferral was prolonged for as long as possible.

Mr Sullivan said: “We will not leave Ukraine defenceless at any point in this conflict period.”

Due to its high failure rate, the use of these munitions has generated debate as unexploded bombs may stay on the ground for a long time before detonating randomly later.

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Mr Sullivan claims American cluster bombs being delivered to Ukraine are a lot safer than the ones that Russia is allegedly using.

He told reporters compared to Russian bombs, which have a failure rate between 30 percent and 40 percent, US bombs had a failure rate of less than 2.5 percent.

President Biden’s choice allows the distribution of these weapons despite US law prohibiting the creation, use, or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate greater than 1 percent.

Russia’s envoy to the US criticised Mr Biden’s choice.

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According to Tass news agency, Anatoly Antonov emphasised his opposition to the shipment of deadly weaponry to Kiev, stressing the perceived callousness and cynicism of Washington’s strategy.

He said: “The cruelty and cynicism with which Washington has approached the issue of transferring lethal weapons to Kyiv is striking.”

He added that unexploded submunitions as a result of US operations will put innocent civilians at risk for a considerable amount of time.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has previously claimed that the United States and its allies are waging a proxy war in Ukraine.

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