US to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, confirms White House

With the aim of exerting pressure on Russia to de-escalate the conflict and to aid Kyiv with weapons to defend its territory, the White House confirmed Friday that the US will supply Ukraine with cluster-style artillery rounds. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at a press briefing that Kyiv has provided written assurances that the controversial weapons would be used carefully to minimise civilian risk.

Sullivan said that Ukraine's forces are currently firing thousands of rounds daily to repel Russian advances and reclaim their sovereign territory.

The decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions from existing US stocks was made to ensure a steady flow of arms for their defense, Sullivan added.

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“We have provided Ukraine with a historic amount of unitary artillery rounds and we are ramping up domestic production of these rounds. We’ve already seen substantial increases in production, but this process will continue to take time, and it will be critical to provide Ukraine with a bridge of supplies. While our domestic production is ramped up,” he said adding, “we will not leave Ukraine defenceless at any point in this conflict period”.

The US-made shells provided to Ukraine have a significantly lower failure rate, Sullivan revealed and said that Ukraine's government has committed to post-war demining efforts to protect civilians from unexploded submunitions.

He said unexploded submunitions have caused harm in previous conflict zones for extended periods, media reports said.

Sullivan drew a distinction between Russia's use of cluster munitions on Ukrainian territory and Ukraine's intention to use them for self-defense.

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The national security team unanimously recommended the provision of cluster munitions, and President Biden, in consultation with allies, partners, and members of Congress, ultimately decided to move forward with the step, he noted.

Pentagon announces $800 million military aid package to Ukraine, including cluster munitions

In a press briefing at the Pentagon on Friday, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin H Kahl announced a new military aid package worth approximately $800 million for Ukraine, which includes the provision of cluster munitions.

The aid package comprises 155mm artillery rounds, including Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM), as well as 105mm artillery rounds, media reports said.

Additionally, the package includes additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems and ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket systems. It also consists of supplementary Stryker armored personnel carriers, precision aerial munitions, demolition munitions, obstacle clearing systems, various spare parts, and operational sustainment equipment.

President Biden's choice to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine has caused dissatisfaction among a significant number of Democrats, who argue that his administration's decision jeopardises the moral position of the United States.

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In the same vein as Sullivan's statements to media personnel, Kahl also stressed that the Ukrainian government has provided assurances to the US regarding the responsible use of DPICM saying these assurances include a commitment not to deploy the rounds in civilian-populated urban areas.

Kahl highlighted that the cluster munitions provided to Ukraine by the US will be the most modern DPICM with a "dud" rate (failure rate) of under 2.35 per cent.

This stands in stark contrast to the cluster munitions used by Russia in Ukraine, which reportedly have dud rates ranging from 30 per centto 40 per cent, he added.

Cluster munitions are a type of explosive weapon designed to disperse submunitions, also known as bomblets or cluster submunitions, over a wide area. These munitions are typically delivered from aircraft or ground-based artillery systems and are designed to cause widespread damage.

While over 100 nations have signed the 2008 Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of such weapons, the US, Russia, and Ukraine are not signatories to the treaty.

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