US allies’ anger over Ukraine cluster bombs announcement

Allies oppose US decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs (Image: Getty) Concerns have been raised by a number of US allies over its decision to give cluster bombs to Ukraine . President Joe Biden confirmed the contentious decision on Friday, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Spain all expressed their objections to the use of such weapons in response to this declaration. More than 100 nations have enacted global bans on cluster bombs due to the serious dangers they pose to civilian populations. These weapons often release a large number of tiny bomblets which can cause widespread, indiscriminate casualties. Cluster bombs have a high failure rate, meaning that unexploded bomblets might linger on the ground for a long time before exploding suddenly, providing a continuing hazard to civilians. Lord Ricketts, who served as the UK’s first national security adviser, told the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News: “You can feel the allies are all very uncomfortable with this. “We have all of us, apart from the Americans, signed up to the convention which means we don’t produce or stockpile or use these weapons. They are indiscriminate weapons, of course. “I think we do owe it to the Ukrainians to understand why they need these weapons. “This offensive that they have launched, there is a lot riding on it. If it stagnates, bogs down, the risk is this war will just continue.” US decision to provide cluster bombs draws international criticism (Image: Getty) He added: “It is a hard choice of the kind that countries have to make in war time. I am uncomfortable with it, yes I wish it wasn’t being done, but I think we can understand why they are doing it.” Cluster munitions are not the “appropriate weapons” to send to Ukraine , Rachel Reeves has said. The shadow chancellor told the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News: “We all agree that Ukraine needs to be properly armed to fight Russia and their illegal invasion. “But I am concerned about the use of cluster bombs, and it is not just the UK who has these concerns, other countries clearly do as well. “So I would like to find a way to properly arm Ukraine but without using these weapons which can have an impact, not just on the battlefield that time, on that day, but for months and years afterwards. “That is something that causes me deep concern, and many other people as well. “While I support President Biden’s desire to ensure Ukraine is fully armed to fight Russia , I am not convinced that these are the appropriate weapons.” In a statement on Saturday night, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni — one of Western Europe’s staunchest backers of Ukraine in the war — reiterated her country’s condemnation of the Russian aggression but called for the “universal application of the principles” of the international convention banning the production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions. But the ongoing war has allowed other challenges to fester or bubble to the surface. In particular, NATO leaders said back in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but little action has been taken toward that goal. Putin occupied parts of the country in 2014 and then attempted to capture Kyiv in 2022, leading to the current war. “A gray zone is a green light for Putin,” said Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland, and now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.