The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world

Joe Biden. Patrick Semansky / AP 

  

The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world 

Biden: Very difficult decision to send cluster bombs 

 

The decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine was "very difficult", says US President Joe Biden in an interview with CNN. He says he has discussed the decision with his allies and points out that Ukraine is running out of ammunition, while American stockpiles are also starting to run out.  

 

Therefore, the country is now receiving the cluster munitions during "a transition period", while waiting for the US to produce more regular ammunition, Biden explains.  

 

The decision to send the cluster munitions has received harsh criticism from several human rights groups, writes The Guardian. Even within his own party critical voices are heard.  

 

Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum says the decision is a "terrible mistake." 

 

- These weapons should be deleted from our arsenal, not dumped in Ukraine, she says.  

 

Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder. Alex Brandon / AP  

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

US confirms: Sending cluster bombs to Ukraine  

 

The American defense headquarters, the Pentagon, confirmed on Friday evening that the United States will send cluster munitions to Ukraine, Reuters reports. The ammunition is part of a new support package worth 800 million dollars.  

 

At a press conference earlier in the evening, White House security adviser Jake Sullivan said sending the munitions was "the right thing to do.

 

" The ammunition is controversial because it can cause great harm to civilians. 120 countries, including Sweden, have signed an international agreement against the use, transfer, production and storage of cluster bombs, writes TT.  

However, the United States, Russia and Ukraine have not signed the agreement. It has previously been reported that both Ukraine and Russia used cluster bombs during the war. 

 

Projectile from a cluster bomb on the ground in Ukraine. Leo Correa / AP 

 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response 

Ukraine welcomes: Needs guns, guns and more guns  

 

The fact that the US looks to include cluster bombs in the next arms support package to Ukraine is welcomed from the Ukrainian side, writes The Guardian. President Zelensky's adviser Mychajlo Podyljak writes on Twitter that the outcome of the war will depend on how much support Ukraine receives from other countries. 

 

He writes that the country needs "weapons, more weapons and even more weapons, including cluster bombs".  

According to the Washington Post, US President Joe Biden must have approved the decision to send cluster bombs. The bombs are controversial as untriggered explosive charges can lie on the ground and pose a danger to civilians for many years to come.