- UK reiterates discouragement of cluster munitions
- Cluster munitions banned by international convention
- UK continues to support Ukraine against Russian invasion
Rishi Sunak has reiterated that the United Kingdom “discourages” the use of cluster munitions following the United States’ decision to provide them to Ukraine.
Under an existing convention, the United Kingdom is one of the countries that have banned these weapons, which have a history of murdering civilians.
The Prime Minister emphasized the sustained government support for Ukraine.
Friday, US President Joe Biden stated that he had made a “very difficult decision” to provide them to Kyiv.
Spain and Canada, two of the 123 nations that have banned cluster bombs, have criticized the decision to dispatch them, as have human rights organizations.
Cluster munitions are a method of dispersing a large number of small bomblets from a rocket, missile, or artillery projectile over a large area while they are in flight.
They are designed to explode upon impact, but a significant percentage of them fail to do so, typically when they fall on moist or soft ground. This means they have the potential to detonate at a later date, causing death or injury.
The United States, Ukraine, and Russia are not signatories to the international treaty – the Convention on Cluster Munitions – that prohibits their use and stockpiling due to the indiscriminate harm they can cause to civilian populations.
Saturday in Selby, Yorkshire, Mr. Sunak told reporters that the United Kingdom is “a signatory to a convention that prohibits the production and use of cluster munitions and discourages their use.”
“We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, but we have already done so by providing heavy battle tanks and, more recently, long-range weapons, and we hope that other nations will continue to support Ukraine,” he added.
The barbarism of Russia is causing unimaginable anguish to millions of people.
Before Tuesday’s NATO conference in Vilnius, Mr. Sunak will meet Mr. Biden in London on Monday.
When asked for a response to the United States supplying Ukraine with cluster munitions, Rishi Sunak spoke cautiously.
The Convention discourages nuclear weapons use, but he did not criticise the US choice.
Only the United States provides more military aid to Ukraine than the United Kingdom.
The US and UK have different approaches to Ukraine’s crisis as it evolves.
Mr. Biden’s justification for providing the arms was that “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.”
He told CNN on Sunday that it took “a while to be convinced” to send them.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine praised the “timely” delivery of the explosives.
Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister of Ukraine, stated that his forces would not use them in urban areas to avoid endangering civilian lives, adding, “These are our people, Ukrainians we have a responsibility to protect.”
Spanish Minister of Defence Margarita Robles said cluster munitions should not be used in the “legitimate defence of Ukraine.”
Germany, which signed the agreement, will not give them to Ukraine but understands the US’ position.
The Canadian government stated in a statement that it does not support the use of cluster munitions and reaffirmed its commitment to “putting an end to the effects cluster munitions have on civilians, particularly children.”
According to Human Rights Watch, both parties used weapons during the conflict, resulting in “numerous civilian deaths and severe injuries.”
Amnesty International agreed, calling cluster munitions “a grave threat to civilian lives long after the conflict has ended.”
The UN human rights office has also criticized their use, demanding that it cease immediately.
Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg stated that the military alliance takes no stance on cluster munitions.
Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the UK’s defense select committee, implored the United States to “reconsider” its decision, which he described as “misguided and likely to erode international goodwill.”
“Their use leaves behind lethal unexploded ordnance on the battlefield, which kills and injures civilians long after the war has ended,” the Conservative representative added.
In light of the failure of the much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia characterized the US decision as an “act of desperation.”
