It was a “difficult decision” to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions for the first time, said US President Joe Biden in a pre-recorded interview aired on Sunday.
“It took me a while to be convinced to do it,” Mr Biden said in a sit-down interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria.
The unexploded components of cluster bombs can kill and maim for decades after a conflict has ended. That is in part why they are banned by more than 120 countries, including US Nato allies, under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Russia, the US, Ukraine and dozens of other countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not signatories.
“I discussed this with our allies, I discussed this with our friends … the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition,” Mr Biden added.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan echoed that sentiment when he announced the approval on Friday, saying Washington had “written assurances” from Kyiv that it “is going to use these in a very careful way that is aimed at minimising any risk to civilians”.
But at least one key ally in Washington's support of Ukraine, Germany, repeated its opposition to the weapons after the US announcement.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters at a climate conference in Vienna: "I have followed the media reports. For us, as a state party, the Oslo agreement applies."
The Democratic Biden administration's decision to send the controversial munitions was met with support from senior foreign policy Republicans in Washington.
House foreign affairs committee chairman Michael McCaul, Senate foreign relations committee ranking member Jim Risch and Senate armed services committee ranking member Roger Wicker released a joint statement calling the approval “long overdue”.
“[Ukrainians] want [cluster munitions] as self defence to use against Russians in their own country ... I don't see anything wrong with that,” Mr McCaul said in a CNN interview on Sunday.
“The counter-offensive, it's been slowed tremendously because this administration has been so slow to get these weapons and these [cluster munitions] will be a game-changer,” he added.
Russia’s war in Ukraine reached its 500th day on Saturday, as Kyiv's counter-offensive grinds on without yielding major results.
Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, told The National after the Friday announcement that Kyiv would use the cluster munitions “very responsibly, because it is our territory and our people”.
Ms Markarova added that “after the liberation of the territory where they were used, demining will be carried out immediately”.
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Mobile phone packages comparison
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
