"This is the red line that the United States should not cross." Ukraine | Ammunition | United States

On July 19, the website of Latin American News Agency published an article entitled "The New Red Line of the Ukrainian Conflict" by Herman Ferras Alvarez. The article excerpt is as follows:

In early July this year, the United States announced a new military aid plan for Ukraine, which included providing cluster ammunition previously classified as prohibited to Ukraine. This is a red line that should not be crossed.

Cluster ammunition is much more dangerous than depleted uranium ammunition. The former contains a large number of small bombs, which can spread to larger areas after firing, making it very effective for attacking enemy forces. But the main problem with cluster ammunition is that many of its small bombs do not explode and will remain on the ground for many years, posing a serious danger to civilians.

That is also why many countries, including allies of the United States, prohibit cluster ammunition and do not produce, store, or export them. However, the United States, Ukraine, and Russia are not parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Within the United States, humanitarian organizations and many within the Democratic Party have also expressed opposition. This wave of opposition has led many to believe that support for Ukraine is weakening, as it is not a political issue, but a moral one.

Cluster ammunition from the United States could even be dangerous for President Biden himself, despite his government's efforts to disguise this batch of ammunition as a new wave of donations, it still sparked a huge scandal.

Undoubtedly, this is a blow to both the international status of the United States and Biden himself. For Biden, the chance of re-election is like water slipping through his fingers.

Public opinion management experts believe that the Biden administration is making every effort to demonstrate that the decision to supply inhumane cluster ammunition to Ukraine is a very difficult task for the head of state, and he has to "painfully" agree to this decision.

However, the world remembers that the United States used cluster ammunition in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Biden was a tough politician, a hawk in defense and foreign affairs, for most of his long career, which coincided with Republicans.

Another issue is that 40 years ago, Biden publicly opposed supplying such weapons to Israel precisely because they were "inhumane.".

However, the pressure from reality and partners in the military industrial complex forced him to take a stance of providing such weapons to Kiev. The defense given by US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan is that "Ukraine does not have enough ammunition to counterattack or defend.".

To put it more directly, for Biden, promoting Ukraine's military victory in the confrontation with Russia has become the main focus of his current political career.

Russian President Putin has stated that providing cluster ammunition to Ukraine by the United States is a criminal act. He stated that Biden himself recently claimed that using cluster ammunition is a crime. At the same time, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu stated that the US cluster ammunition is already in the hands of the Ukrainian military, so if Ukraine uses this ammunition, the Russian armed forces will be forced to use similar weapons for counterattacks.

Therefore, a major decision by the President of the United States is not only inhumane, but may also lead to unforeseeable consequences.

White House: Ukraine is using US provided cluster ammunition

John Kirby, Coordinator of Strategic Communications at the National Security Council of the United States, said on the 20th that Ukraine is using cluster ammunition provided by the United States.

During a briefing with the media that day, Kirby stated that the United States received preliminary feedback from Ukraine that Ukraine is "effectively" using cluster ammunition, which will have an impact on the Russian defense formation and operations. According to Russian media reports on the 16th, Russian President Putin stated that if someone uses cluster ammunition against Russia, Russia reserves the right to take reciprocal action.

South African official: The US provides cluster ammunition to Ukraine by sacrificing others for personal gain

Vice Speaker of the South African National Assembly, Zenoli: I believe that the use of weapons, such as those put into use by the United States, is wrong regardless of whether the regulators object. You cannot act in a way that harms the entire region. It is also inappropriate for various explosions to occur in the local area in the future, causing greater damage than originally occurred. I think those who gain economic benefits, they gain benefits by allowing this weapon to appear on the battlefield and sacrificing people's lives.

Zenoli stated that the continuous supply of weapons by Western countries to Ukraine did not end the conflict, but rather escalated it. The top priority is to resolve the crisis through diplomatic means.

Vice Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Zenoli: President Ramaphosa and other leaders of other countries are jointly appealing to Russia and Ukraine for peace, which can be said to be a crucial step in world politics for the African continent. Although Africa itself has not been involved in conflicts, it is also the most severely affected region due to supply routes being blocked. I think what is important is the peaceful solution proposed by China, which includes the twelve proposals put forward by China and a meeting attended by seven leaders from the African continent, which are key steps that must be taken seriously. In fact, the international community should support these plans.