Lieutenant General Douglas Sims stated on Thursday that "cluster munitions are in Ukraine."
When questioned about the slower progress of Ukraine's counteroffensive, Sims described the challenging nature of the warfare, highlighting tough terrain and constant enemy fire. He added, "When you consider all that, it's pretty remarkable."
Despite concerns over the long-term risks posed to civilians by unexploded bomblets, the US announced on July 7 its decision to send cluster munitions as part of an $800-million security package to assist Ukrainian forces against Russia.
Confirming the news, Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Tarnavskyi stated, "We just got them, we haven't used them yet, but they can radically change (the battlefield)." He also emphasized that the Ukrainian forces would not deploy the weapon in heavily populated areas.
In response to the US delivery, Russia warned of countermeasures if Ukraine were to use the munitions against its forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that such use would force Russia to take appropriate action, without elaborating on the specific countermeasures.
US President Joe Biden defended the decision to provide the munitions, citing the urgent need for Ukrainian forces who were running out of ammunition. He stated that the weapons were necessary to prevent the Russians from halting the Ukrainian offensive.
Cluster munitions, containing multiple bomblets that disperse over large areas, have been widely criticized due to the indiscriminate harm they cause to civilians. The use of cluster bombs is banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), an international treaty that addresses their humanitarian consequences. However, the US, Russia, and Ukraine have not signed the treaty.
The convention, in effect since 2010, prohibits the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster bombs. Over 100 countries have signed the treaty, while the US, Russia, and Ukraine remain among the non-signatories.