Germany does not consider it possible to supply cluster munitions to Kiev, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2023) Germany does not consider it possible to supply cluster munitions to Kiev, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday.
"German has signed the convention (on cluster munitions), it (supplying such munitions to Ukraine) is not an option for us. I will not comment on the fact that some countries, including China, Russia, Ukraine and the United States, have not joined the convention," he told reporters after a trilateral meeting between top German, Austrian and Swiss officials in Bern.
Meanwhile, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said Austria was also opposed to supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine, saying their use would pose a long-term threat to civilians.
"We have a clear position. We are a country, which is in the forefront of the disarmament process. This weapon, these munitions are banned internationally because they function similar to anti-personnel landmines. Cluster munitions can lie around for years, we have seen it in the middle East, and they could harm the civil population for years after the end of the conflict," he told reporters before the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) High-Level Conference on Climate Change in Vienna.
Schallenberg added that he was in favor of supporting Ukraine, although Western countries should provide "the right kind of support" to Kiev and consider the signals they send with their decisions.
On Thursday, media reported that US President Joe Biden had approved the provision of US cluster munitions to Ukraine and was expected to announce the move as part of a new $800 million military aid package. On Friday, Democratic US Reps. Sara Jacobs and Ilhan Omar introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act banning the transfer or sale of cluster munitions.
