White House: Ukraine is using US provided cluster ammunition Ukraine | US | White House
Washington, July 20th (Xinhua) - John Kirby, Coordinator of Strategic Communications at the National Security Council of the United States, said on July 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.
The US government announced on the 7th of this month that it will provide Ukraine with a new batch of military assistance, including large lethal cluster ammunition classified as prohibited by US law. US Department of Defense officials and Ukrainian military personnel said on the 13th that the cluster ammunition provided by the United States has arrived in Ukraine.
The provision of cluster ammunition by the United States to Ukraine has caused widespread controversy and concern in the international community. Multiple human rights organizations have criticized the US government's decision and warned that the use of cluster ammunition will cause more civilian casualties.
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.
![White House: Ukraine is using US provided cluster ammunition Ukraine | US | White House](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/2f36a07604194387893384e14afcac20.jpg)
This is a collection of cluster bombs used by the US military during the Vietnam War, exhibited at the Engineering Museum in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on July 14th.
The so-called cluster ammunition refers to airborne bombs or artillery shells made by combining more than ten or even hundreds of small ammunition. After being dropped, small bombs are released in the air on a large scale and detonated when or after touching the ground. But these small bombs may also fail to detonate properly and become duds, posing a long-term threat to the people near the scattered areas.
Cluster ammunition has stronger killing power and a greater likelihood of causing civilian casualties than regular ammunition. The US military has used cluster ammunition in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Kosovo War, Afghanistan War, and Iraq War, causing extensive damage to civilian facilities and numerous civilian casualties.