US Cluster Munition Coalition Slams US Decision to Transfer New Batch of Munitions to Ukraine

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US Cluster Munition Coalition said it was shocked by Washington's decision to transfer its cluster munitions to Ukraine for the fifth time, citing the long-term humanitarian consequences such weapons could have.

On Tuesday, the US Senate passed a $95 billion bill containing approximately $61 billion in Ukraine-related funding, including via a loan. US President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on Wednesday. The US Department of Defense later unveiled a $1 billion military aid package for Kiev, including cluster munitions and air defense supplies.

"The US Cluster Munition Coalition (USCMC) is appalled by President Biden’s decision to again transfer internationally prohibited cluster munitions to Ukraine … The US Cluster Munition Coalition condemns this transfer decision due to the devastating and long-term humanitarian consequences of cluster munitions," the coalition said in a statement released on Thursday.

The United States is expected to announce $6 billion in military contracts for Ukraine as soon as Friday, but they will not arrive in the country for several years, Politico reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The report said that the contracts would include… pic.twitter.com/nHPbXyLDIP

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The coalition added that it was "dismayed by the need to condemn such an action for the fifth time." It also urged Biden to immediately stop the transfer of such weapons.

Western countries have provided hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operationin February 2022. Aid shipments began in 2022 with artillery munitions and training and have escalated to include tanks, advanced air-defense systems, missiles and cluster munitions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the US and NATO are directly involved in the Ukraine conflict by supplying weapons and training soldiers in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries.