Cluster bombs from US arrive in Ukraine, general says
Ukraine has received cluster bombs from the United States, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the Tavria operational and strategic grouping of troops, confirmed to CNN on July 13.
“We just got them, we haven’t used them yet, but they can radically change the situation on the battlefield,” Tarnavskyi said.
Earlier, Ukraine pledged to use U.S. cluster bombs only in "appropriate places," Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin told CNN.
“First of all, I think we should remember that they are fighting hard to defend their sovereign territory,” Austin said.
“You know, they're not asking for the bombs to go invade ... another country, as the Russians did, they’ve been using cluster bombs from the very beginning.”
The U.S. secretary of defense emphasized that the Ukrainian military will record the places where cluster bombs are used and prioritize demining efforts.
"We will help them do that, in those places where they gave us the conditions," Austin concluded.
Washington on July 7 announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine, which included Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional bombs (DPICM), also known as cluster bombs. U.S. President Joe Biden later clarified his decision to supply these bombs was made in light of the Ukrainian military's dwindling artillery stocks.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov later emphasized that these armaments will only be used in efforts to reclaim Ukrainian territories, and not in populated areas. He also pledged to maintain meticulous records of their usage, promising to share reports on their deployment and effectiveness with Ukraine's international partners.
These steps will make it possible to sweep these areas for unexploded charges post-war, as they pose a danger to civilians.
The provision of this ammunition to Ukraine provoked different reactions around the world. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that the supply of such weapons would help compensate for the Ukrainian army's shell deficit.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance does not influence the decisions of individual countries to supply such weapons, while the United Kingdom and Spain said they disapproved.
Russia claims that the supply of cluster bombs to Ukraine "will not change anything," while Cambodia warned against the use of these bombs because of the risks to the civilian population.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on July 12 that the Armed Forces would use cluster bombs exclusively to engage military targets in the occupied territories.
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