 The Russian Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized the US for pledging to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine. (Photo: AP) |
In a statement, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the decision as an aggressive anti-Russian course taken by the US aimed at prolonging the conflict in Ukraine as much as possible.
She said the previous use of cluster bombs in the Middle East and other conflicts shows that they may not explode for a long time, but explode after the fighting has ended. As a result, the US will become an accomplice in landmine-laying and must be fully responsible for the deaths of civilians, including children, according to Zakharova.
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles on Saturday criticized the US for sending cluster bombs to Ukraine. Unexploded ordinance from cluster bombs can kill and maim people years or even decades after the munitions were fired
Amid criticism, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Kiyv will not use the munitions in “officially recognised territory of Russia.”
Last Friday, the US announced a new military package aid worth up to 800 million USD including cluster bombs.
The Cluster Munition Coalition, which is seeking a ban on the weapon, said it was appalled by the US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine. The weapons are prohibited by 120 countries around the world.