"This is a war crime" – Zakharova on US decision on cluster munitions

The US described the use of cluster munitions as a war crime in February 2022 and has now decided to hand them over to Ukraine, Maria Zakharova recalls. Russian Ambassador Antonov says the U.S. decision is a gesture of desperation.

The US has decided to hand over cluster munitions to Ukraine, although a year and a half ago they called their use a war crime, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recalled a corresponding statement from the White House. On her Telegram channel, she wrote:

"[US President Joe] Biden [Jen] Psaki's press secretary on February 28, 2022: 'The use of cluster munitions is a war crime'. A year and a half later, US President Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a briefing at the White House that he intends to hand over cluster munitions to Ukraine.

Psaki, who resigned from her post as press secretary last May, said that the use of cluster munitions "would potentially be a war crime," responding to the question of whether Russia might use these ammunition in the special operation in Ukraine. She pointed out, however, that the White House had no confirmation of this information.

Zakharova also commented on Biden's statement that Ukrainians need such shells. The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote:

"He forgot to add: especially the dead."

Biden claimed to CNN that the decision to hand over cluster munitions to Kyiv was "difficult," but with Ukraine now running out of other shells, the cluster munitions would be delivered during a "transitional period" until enough 155mm shells were available. The Ukrainian military needs these shells for the ongoing counteroffensive, according to the US president.

The transfer of cluster munitions was announced on July 7 by Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. He pointed out that Washington recognizes the risks to civilians from the use of these ammunition, which is why the United States has delayed a decision on their transfer. The White House stressed that Ukraine had given guarantees to the US side that these weapons would be used with caution.

Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov also commented on the US decision. According to him, such actions by the United States "bring humanity closer to a new world war" and are "a gesture of desperation", since they do not want to acknowledge "the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces" in the offensive.

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