AssetID: 52883866
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: US Agrees to Send Controversial Cluster Munitions to Ukraine
Caption: US Agrees to Send Controversial Cluster Munitions to Ukraine. On July 7, the United States ended months of debate, announcing that cluster munitions would be sent to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package. "I'm not going to stand up here and say it is easy. It's a difficult decision. It's a decision we deferred. It's a decision that required a real hard look at the potential harm to civilians." , Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser, via CNN. The news comes as Ukrainian forces struggle to regain territory in their counteroffensive against Russia. CNN reports that the delivery of cluster munitions marks a significant moment, as the Biden administration's decision goes against U.S. allies who believe the weapons should be banned. In over 100 other countries, including the U.K., France and Germany, cluster munitions have been outlawed under the Convention on Cluster Munitions. According to the under secretary of defense for policy, Ukraine gave written assurances that the munitions would not be used in areas “that are populated by civilians, and that there would be a careful accounting of where they use these weapons.” On July 6, Human Rights Watch released a report stating that, “transferring these weapons would inevitably cause long-term suffering for civilians and undermine the international opprobrium of their use.” CNN reports that Ukraine has been pushing for the U.S. to supply them with cluster munitions since last year. Military analysts and officials expressed concern that without the shipment of munitions, Ukraine's counteroffensive may falter. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
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