US Congress pushes Biden to send cluster bombs to Ukraine
A bipartisan panel of US lawmakers is urging Joe Biden's administration to send mass-destructive cluster munitions to Ukraine, in a move that could help Kiev inflict heavy casualties on Russia forces and raise serious human rights issues.
In a letter sent to US President Joe Biden on Friday, Joe Wilson, Steve Cohen, and Victoria Spartz, a bipartisan group atop the Helsinki Commission, urged the White House to send enhanced dual-purpose conventional munitions, better known as DPICMs, to Ukraine to assist in an ongoing counter-offensive.
The weapon, which can be fired from artillery shells and scatter up to 88 bombs across the battlefield, could help Ukraine break through Russian tanks and dug-in positions. But if not cleared, bombs can be left to kill and maim civilians long after the war is over.
But the pressure to send artillery cluster bombs has intensified inside the US government and on Capitol Hill, as the Pentagon has sent or is preparing to send weapons at the top of Ukraine's list, starting with howitzers and ending with F-16s. And with Russia successfully clinging to the dragon's toothed trench lines, the pressure is only getting stronger.
“[T]ransferring DPICMs to Ukraine presents an opportunity to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a powerful capability to use against the Russian army and mercenary forces,” the lawmakers wrote to Biden on Friday.
“Let us use this untapped, vast arsenal in service of Ukrainian victory, and reclaiming Europe’s peace.” The letter was sent to Biden before Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin staged an abortive mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin that managed to take control of a Kremlin military logistics hub in Rostov-on-Don over the weekend before petering out.
Russia hawks, including some Republican lawmakers, have argued that the Biden administration has been too slow to approve sending battle tanks and begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, hindering Ukraine's ability to launch a successful counterattack.
Biden administration has sent more than $40 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia first launched its military operation in February 2022. The United States and other NATO allies have been decisive in preventing Russia from winning.
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