The United States has decided to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, multiple news outlets have reported, despite concerns about the deployment of weapons banned by more than 100 countries.
A weapons package including cluster munitions fired from a 155-millimetre Howitzer cannon is expected to be announced soon, three US officials told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.
The New York Times, citing people familiar with the discussions who requested anonymity, reported that several of US President Joe Biden’s key aides, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had recommended the US send the weapons at a meeting of top national security officials last week, despite what they described as their own deep reservations.
Cluster bombs release large numbers of smaller bomblets across a wide area posing a major threat to civilians both during the war and long afterwards because some of the bomblets will fail to explode.
