Providing Kiev with cluster munitions is a new step towards escalation

Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, said on Thursday that the US decision to supply Ukraine Cluster munitions will constitute a new step towards escalation.

Commenting on what was published by The New York Times, Nebenzia said that the United States is expected to announce the provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine: “It (the United States) makes a lot of statements, this is another step towards escalation,” according to the Russian “TASS” agency.

An NPR reporter said in a tweet on Twitter on Wednesday that the decision is expected to be announced on Thursday.

It will be useful to Kiev

It is noteworthy that a senior official at the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) had revealed last June that the US military believed that Cluster munitions It would be useful to Ukraine in fending off Russian forces, but it has not yet been approved for Kiev due to restrictions imposed by Congress and concerns of allied countries, according to Reuters.

Ukraine is urging members of Congress to pressure the Biden administration to agree to send improved conventional dual-purpose munitions.

It is noteworthy that cluster munitions, which are banned by more than 120 countries, usually release a large number of smaller bomblets to kill people over a large area indiscriminately, threatening the lives of civilians.

Human Rights Watch reported in a report that Russian and Ukrainian forces used cluster munitions that killed Ukrainian civilians.