U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington would send cluster bombs because “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.”
Ukraine’s NATO backers are split over the U.S. supply of cluster munitions, which will be a much-needed boost for Kyiv’s ammunition stockpiles as it forges on with its counteroffensive.
On Friday, the U.S. said it was supplying dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM), a form of cluster bomb that disperses submunitions over a wide area. They are considered an effective military weapon, but they can pose a danger to civilians.
U.S. President Joe Biden told CNN that Washington had made the “difficult” decision because “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.”
In a media briefing, Colin Kahl, a senior Pentagon official, said the new military package – which also included more ammunition for Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS – meant the U.S. could furnish Ukraine “with hundreds of thousands of additional artillery ammunition immediately.”
“By providing Ukraine with DPICM artillery ammunition, we will ensure that the Ukrainian military has sufficient artillery ammunition for many months to come,” Kahl added.
Although there are no figures available for how much ammunition Ukraine has left, what it needs, or how much it has used, Kyiv has repeatedly called for ammunition supplies from its Western backers.
