Ukraine has begun using the controversial munitions provided by the United States, an administration official confirmed on Thursday.
Cluster munitions, which President Joe Biden agreed to provide earlier this month, are a specific type of munition that poses such risks to civilians that more than 100 countries — the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia are not a part of it — have banned the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of them.
EXISTING HOME SALES FALL AS OWNERS HOLD ON TO LOWER MORTGAGE RATES
White House National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that Ukraine had begun using them and shared some initial thoughts with them.
“We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they’re using them quite effectively,” he said. “They have, once again, without violating their operational security. I will just tell you that they’re using them appropriately. They’re using them effectively, and they are actually having an impact on Russia’s defensive formations and Russia’s defensive maneuvering.”
Biden agreed to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine on July 7, and a Department of Defense official confirmed on July 13 that they had made it into the country.
The munition contains tens of submunitions within it, and when it gets near the target, the munition detonates, sending the submunitions over a much more expansive area. The unexploded ordinances essentially become landmines posing a threat to civilians, possibly for years after a conflict ends.
The U.S. had declined to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions due to the risks, but administration officials cited Russia’s use of the weapons already and the U.S.’s depleted stockpiles as reasons why their calculations on the subject had changed.
U.S. defense officials said the cluster munitions Russia used in Ukraine have a dud rate between 30%-40%, whereas the U.S. will be providing these munitions with a dud rate below 2.35%. The U.S. has also provided Ukraine with $95 million for de-mining efforts.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In the days after the policy reversal, Biden acknowledged the U.S. was “low” on the munitions it had been providing to Ukraine, while a defense official said it had “hundreds of thousands” available to give. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said not providing Ukraine with cluster munitions would leave it “defenseless.”
Most NATO countries are part of the treaty against the use of cluster munitions, and some have disagreed with Biden’s decision to provide the weapon.
