President Joe Biden earned the approval of Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) for his decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.
Cotton, an Army veteran, issued a statement in response to the White House’s announcement Friday that it would send the weaponry, canisters that contain tens to hundreds of smaller bomblets that spread upon deployment, as a result of Russia already utilizing the same against Ukraine.
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“For Ukrainian forces to defeat Putin’s invasion, Ukraine needs at least equal access to the weapons Russia already uses against them, like cluster munitions,” Cotton wrote. “Providing this new capability is the right decision—even if it took too long—and is one I’ve long supported.”
Cotton has previously gone on the record to implore Biden “to send everything that shoots to our friends in Ukraine.” He also blasted the administration for failing to act and “prolonging the war.”
In the Arkansas senator’s view, Biden has been known to “drag his feet,” which resulted in the war in Ukraine becoming “bloodier and longer than it should have been.”
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Cotton forewarned it was imminent, saying, “President Biden’s consistent weakness has led Vladimir Putin to believe there will be no consequences if Russia invades Ukraine.”
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Cluster munitions can inflict four-football field lengths of damage when deployed. Their impact has led to more than 100 countries banning the weapon.
Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Sara Jacobs (D-CA) disagreed with Cotton and Biden, introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that effectively prohibits transferring cluster munitions.