U.S. to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine
The new aid package, which will be provided from the US Army's stockpiles, includes 155-mm caliber ammunition, including DPICM, 105-mm shells, as well as ammunition for the Patriot and HIMARS systems, said US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at a press briefing.
At the same time, he noted that Kyiv "provided written assurances" that Ukraine would use these weapons "very carefully, in order to minimize any risk to the civilian population."
According to Sullivan, these guarantees made the delivery of cluster ammunition possible.
"We recognize the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance. This is why we’ve deferred the decision for as long as we could. But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians, because Ukraine does not have enough artillery. That is intolerable to us." he explained.
Sullivan added that “the front line is constantly changing, so we cannot clearly determine on the map the location of the use of shells.”
The delivery of cluster ammunition to Ukraine was also confirmed by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl.
He noted that Russian forces have used cluster munitions "indiscriminately since the beginning of the war against Ukraine" and stressed that Ukraine needs cluster munitions "to protect its sovereign territory."
According to Kahl, the U.S. will send advanced DPICM dual-use cluster munitions to Ukraine with a dud rate of 1.3% to 2.35%
He compared them to Russian cluster munitions, in which, according to him, the dud rate is between 30% and 40%.
Kahl did not specify exactly when the ammunition will be delivered to Ukraine and added that the United States is "cautious about talking about specific dates."
"The only thing I will say is that they will be delivered within the time frame necessary for a counteroffensive," he said.