Sunak “discourages” cluster bombs after Biden defends the decision to send them to Ukraine

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On the 500th day of the Ukraine war, the US and UK are divided over whether it is right to send cluster bombs to the battlefield, Tom Sheldrick reports for ITV News.

Rishi Sunak said Britain “discouraged” the use of cluster munitions after US President Joe Biden defended his decision to send the bombs to Ukraine.

The prime minister highlighted that the UK was one of 123 signatories to an agreement banning its use after the US leader made the “difficult decision”.

Sunak, who will meet Biden in London on Monday ahead of the NATO summit, said Britain supports Kiev by providing tanks and long-range weapons.

Earlier, Biden said he was sticking to the decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, describing the controversial move as a temporary measure to help Kiev stop Russian tanks.

The leader defended the controversial move to send munitions, which are banned by most other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, to help America’s ally.

British cluster bombs kept in an abandoned building in Yemen. Credit: ITV News

It is the latest round of weapons promised to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

Mr. Biden decided to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine for its war against Russia, even though the United Nations has urged the warring nations to avoid using them.

An exclusive interview with Biden about the munitions controversy is due to air on CNN on Sunday afternoon, UK time.

A snapshot of Biden’s exclusive interview with CNN about the cluster munitions controversy

In the first clips of the interview, released before it aired, the leader, Fareed Zakaria, tells CNN that it was a “difficult decision” to supply Ukraine with ammunition, but that he was eventually convinced Kiev needed the ammunition for its counter-offensive against Russia.

He also described the handover as a “temporary” measure to deal with ammunition shortages on Ukraine’s front lines, in an effort to stop Russian tanks.

This is a war about munitions. “We’re out of that ammunition, and we’re running out of it,” Mr. Biden told the program.

“And so, what I finally did, I took the Department of Defense recommendation — not permanently — but to allow for this transitional period, while we get more of the 155 weapons, these missiles, to the Ukrainians.”

He also acknowledged that more than 100 countries, including the United Kingdom, have banned cluster munitions.

The United States and Ukraine have not signed the munitions ban treaty, which Russia has used extensively in the conflict.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Biden said. “We’re not a signatory to this agreement, but it took me a while to get convinced to do it.”

He added, “But the main thing is that they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now – to stop them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas – or they don’t. And I think they need them.”

Mr Sunak chose not to support his counterpart’s move during the Selby by-election campaign on Saturday afternoon, citing the UK’s commitment to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

“Well, the UK is a signatory to an agreement that prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use,” he told broadcasters.

“We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against the illegal and unjustified Russian invasion, but we have done so by providing heavy combat tanks and the latest long-range weapons, and we hope that all countries will continue to support Ukraine.

The Russian barbaric act is causing untold suffering to millions of people.

“It is right that we address it collectively and I will go to the NATO summit next week in Vilnius, where we will discuss exactly this with our allies on how we can strengthen our support for Ukraine.”

The US has argued that Kiev has given assurances it will not use cluster bombs in urban areas but that some NATO allies must have been concerned about moving them.

On Friday, ITV News correspondent Robert Moore questioned a senior US official about America’s decision, after it was met with criticism from the international community.

Moore challenged the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, General Patrick Ryder, to justify the provision of the munitions, warning that the munitions, which can lie undisturbed for years before maiming people long after the conflict ends, will eventually harm children in Ukraine.

Watch reporter Robert Moore’s full interview with General Ryder

What is a cluster bomb?

Cluster bombs explode in the air and release a wave of bomblets, hitting multiple targets at once.

Munitions have a proven track record of causing numerous civilian casualties, and concealed unexploded ordnance causes trauma years – even decades – down the track, long after a conflict has ended.

Cluster bombs have killed and maimed civilians in conflicts around the world, including Syria, Libya and Ukraine, often leaving victims who survived with life-changing injuries.

The Pentagon says the munitions it will provide to Ukraine have a reduced “explosion rate”.

This means fewer unexploded rounds that could lead to unintentional civilian deaths. But critics say the collateral damage is unacceptable.

Colin Kahl, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, said the United States would give Ukraine the newest cluster munitions available, which have much lower detonation rates.

He said the bombs were tested five times between 1998 and 2020, and the US is confident the UXO rate is less than 2.35 percent.

While he declined to say how many the US would now send, he said it had “hundreds of thousands” of cluster munitions available to Ukraine at a low rate that did not explode.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some cluster munitions leave behind submunitions with a high failure rate – as high as 40% in some cases.

More than 120 countries have joined the Convention banning the use of cluster bombs by agreeing not to use, produce, transfer or stockpile the weapons and to remove them after their use.

The UK is among the main signatories and campaigners of the ban on the use of cluster munitions, and is actively investing in the clearance of cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines and other explosive remnants of war around the world.

The United States, Russia and Ukraine are among the countries that have not signed the agreement.

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