WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2023) The consequences of the Biden administration's possible provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine in violation of international law will be felt for decades, including the death and mutilation of children, co-founder of women-led peace group CODEPINK Medea Benjamin told Sputnik.
The Biden administration is expected to announce Thursday it will send cluster bombs to Ukraine, NPR reported.
"There's an international ban on Cluster Munitions, and it's appalling that the United States would violate that. There's also a terrible US history of using these cluster munitions in places like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, that have continued to this day to cause deaths and mutilation of young children who picked up these unexploded ordnance," Benjamin said. "So, it's a terrible thing to send and it means that the consequences of this conflict in Ukraine will go on for decades."
The White House earlier said the Biden administration has no announcement to make regarding sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, but the issue remains under active consideration.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said that the United States supplying cluster munitions to Kiev would represent yet "another step" in escalating the conflict in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov urged the US against escalating tensions by providing Ukraine with cluster munitions.
The decision comes amid concerns that Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia-held territories has stalled.
