Public opposition! What are the considerations for the United States to provide cluster ammunition to Ukraine?, Canadian, British, Spanish shells | use | provide | cluster | cluster shells | Ukraine | ammunition | United States

On July 7th local time, the US government announced a military aid worth $800 million to Ukraine, including large lethal cluster ammunition classified as prohibited by US law. This move has sparked widespread opposition within the United States and its allies.

In the view of analysts, NATO's current assistance to Ukraine for conventional weapons and ammunition is already stretched thin. The United States provides cluster ammunition not only to alleviate Ukraine's ammunition shortage, but also to attempt to disrupt the situation between Russia and Ukraine. However, this move by the United States may not only exacerbate internal divisions within NATO, but also have multiple consequences.

Cluster ammunition, also known as cluster bombs, is an airborne bomb or artillery shell made by combining more than ten or even hundreds of small ammunition. After being dropped, it will release small bombs in the air on a large scale and detonate when or after touching the ground. This type of ammunition not only has a wide killing area, but may also pose a long-term threat to civilians near scattered locations due to the large number of duds.

It is precisely because of the significant harm caused by cluster ammunition that over 120 countries around the world have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, opposing the use of cluster ammunition. However, the United States, Russia, and Ukraine have not signed this convention. Nevertheless, US law still prohibits the production, use, or transfer of cluster ammunition with a dud rate of over 1% to other countries. According to US media reports, the dud rate of cluster ammunition provided by the US to Ukraine this time is about 6%.

The US Department of Defense claims that providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine was a decision made by the Biden administration after extensive consultations with Congress, US allies, and partners. However, many NATO allies and domestic groups in the United States have opposed this move.

On July 8th, after the Biden administration announced its decision, the Canadian government reiterated its opposition to the use of cluster ammunition.

According to the report, the Canadian government stated in a statement that Canada's position on cluster ammunition is long-term and clear, that is, Canada completely opposes the use of such weapons. "Building on the groundbreaking work done by Aksworthy to ban landmines under the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention, Canada advocated for the adoption of the Cluster Munitions Convention, which has now been ratified by more than 100 countries," the Canadian government wrote in a statement. "We do not support the use of cluster ammunition and are committed to eliminating its impact on civilians, especially children." The Canadian government continued to write in a statement, "Canada fully complies with the Convention, and we conscientiously fulfill our obligations under the Convention and actively promote its widespread adoption." It is understood that the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signed in 2008, explicitly prohibits the use, storage, production, and transfer of cluster ammunition. Currently, more than 120 countries, including Canada, have signed the Convention. The Ottawa Mine Ban Convention was signed in Ottawa, Canada on December 4, 1997, and came into effect on March 1, 1999. The convention prohibits contracting parties from manufacturing, transporting, storing, and using all landmines targeting human beings, and currently has more than 160 contracting parties, including Canada. On July 8th, both the UK and Spain expressed opposition to the US providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine. UK Prime Minister Sunak: The UK has signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the production or use of cluster ammunition and opposes the use of cluster ammunition by other countries. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Rovers stated on the 8th that Spain opposes the United States providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine. Rovles said that the decision to provide cluster ammunition to Ukraine was made unilaterally by the United States, and Spain is a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, where cluster ammunition is prohibited. Rovles stated that although Spain is also a member of NATO, the supply of certain specific weapons and ammunition to Ukraine should be prohibited under any circumstances.

UN Secretary General's Deputy Spokesperson Hack stated that the UN Secretary General does not want cluster ammunition to continue to be used on the battlefield.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Antonov said that the United States providing cluster ammunition is a "desperate gesture", indicating that the United States is aware of its powerlessness in the situation between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian side also stated that the US move is aimed at prolonging the conflict, and the Russian side will respond strongly to this. The Russian side also claimed that the US is responsible for the casualties caused to civilians by cluster ammunition.

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, in response to the US move, stated that the types of weapons and ammunition to be provided to Ukraine should be decided by member countries themselves. However, NATO member countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain oppose providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine, and countries such as Austria and New Zealand also oppose the use of cluster ammunition.

Within the United States, dozens of Democratic lawmakers expressed disappointment with the Biden administration's aid to Ukraine's cluster ammunition, believing it to be a "terrible mistake" that would result in an "unbearable moral and political cost" for the United States. In addition, at least 38 human rights organizations openly oppose the United States providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine.

Many media analysts have pointed out that the reason why the United States is providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine under international pressure is actually due to very practical considerations of interests.

Firstly, Ukraine is short of ammunition, and NATO's arsenal is almost bottoming out.

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg stated as early as February this year that the Ukrainian military's ammunition consumption rate far exceeds that of Western countries in ammunition production. By June of this year, Stoltenberg had bluntly stated that Western ammunition reserves had dried up. According to reports, NATO countries generally provide Ukraine with a standard of 155mm shells, while Europe first reduced its production budget for 155mm shells after the Cold War. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, although the United States and its allies provided more than 1.5 million 155mm shells to Ukraine, it was still difficult to meet Ukraine's needs.

In February of this year, Ukraine requested assistance from NATO for cluster ammunition and phosphorus bombs due to a shortage of ammunition, but Stoltenberg refused. Nowadays, it will take time for Western military factories to increase the production speed of 155mm shells, and the United States has a large number of cluster ammunition fired from 155mm caliber howitzers, which can just alleviate Ukraine's urgent need.

Secondly, by providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine, the United States can shift the blame.

The US Department of Defense stated that the date and progress of providing cluster ammunition will be determined based on the situation of the conflict in Ukraine. The United States is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, so it considers itself not bound by international law. Moreover, it is Ukraine that ultimately uses cluster ammunition, and if serious consequences are caused, the United States can also shift the blame onto Ukraine.

In addition, Ukraine has been requesting to join NATO, but NATO currently does not intend to immediately accept Ukraine. In this situation, the United States providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine is also to some extent to appease Ukraine.

According to analysts, the United States has used cluster ammunition in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Afghanistan War, and Iraq War, causing a large number of civilian casualties. Nowadays, the United States plans to provide cluster ammunition to Ukraine, which may have multiple impacts on the situation in Ukraine.

In the view of the Russian side, the provision of cluster ammunition by the United States to Ukraine indicates that the West is desperate about the situation on the battlefield. Considering the lethality of cluster ammunition, once Ukraine deploys it on the battlefield, it may increase casualties to some extent, but whether it will have a decisive impact on the battlefield situation remains unknown.

Furthermore, it is currently difficult to determine whether this move by the United States was a temporary move in the face of insufficient supply of 155mm shells, or was intended to escalate the war. There are already differences among Western countries regarding aid to Ukraine, and if the use of cluster ammunition escalates the conflict, the United States and its allies may further divide.

What is currently certain is that the use of cluster ammunition will pose an unpredictable threat to civilians, which may be long-term. Ukraine has currently announced five principles for the use of cluster ammunition, including not using it in urban areas and prioritizing mine clearance after use. However, it remains to be seen whether these principles can be adhered to in the future.

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What did the United States' cluster ammunition explode before going to the Ukrainian battlefield?

There are new developments in the situation in Ukraine, and the United States has decided to provide cluster ammunition to Ukraine. What is cluster ammunition? What will this decision of the United States bring? Stamp Video ↓↓↓

Recently, the United States has approved the provision of cluster ammunition to Ukraine, which has been opposed by multiple parties. What is cluster ammunition? As the name suggests, it is a bomb or shell made by assembling small ammunition together. After being dropped, it will release small bombs in the air on a large scale. These small bombs will explode when they come into contact with the ground or land, not only causing extensive damage to targets on the ground, but also causing harm to civilians. If some small bombs did not explode at the time, it would be like a "landmine", laying a long-term hidden danger in the local area. In history, the United States has used cluster ammunition on many battlefields, causing significant casualties.

Why does the United States provide cluster ammunition to Ukraine? The direct reason is that other conventional shells are not enough. This indicates that the United States not only has no intention of stopping the conflict, but also continues to escalate the situation for its own selfish gain. Some netizens also dug up the official statement from the United States more than a year ago, when the White House spokesperson said that if cluster ammunition is used in Ukraine, it would be a war crime. I want to ask, does the United States suffer from amnesia? Cluster ammunition, not yet used on the Ukrainian battlefield, was first detonated with an American double standard.

To ease the current situation in Ukraine, what is needed is not cluster ammunition, but to gather more peaceful forces to restrain the act of pouring oil into the flames and promote peace talks. I want to give a message to those who have decided to provide cluster ammunition. It's not easy to overturn a car. Today, when we provide cluster ammunition, there may be a small bomb that hasn't exploded on the battlefield, and it will be left for ourselves in the end.