.@KofmanMichael: for Ukraine, artillery ammo is "like sand in an hourglass." Cluster bombs "will eliminate much of the time pressure by opening up a large tranche of ammo to keep the offensive going" and they're "far more significant" than other recently acquired western arms. https://t.co/LYyTkXNKQA
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) July 7, 2023
BREAKING: President @JoeBiden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan appears @WhiteHouse and defends decision to provide banned weapons to #Ukraine to fight #Russia. WATCH pic.twitter.com/mhETUFfOIh
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) July 7, 2023
Cluster munition in action 👀 https://t.co/u8tRCGGyck pic.twitter.com/kN2dbXg1T0
— MAKS 23 👀🇺🇦 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) July 6, 2023
"The bottom line is this: we recognize that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordinance. This is why we deferred the decision for as long as we could. But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians."
Joe Biden approved sending cluster munitions to Ukraine after a "unanimous" recommendation from his national security team, Sullivan says. He says it was a "difficult" decision and that the president ultimately made the decision "in consultation with allies and partners and in consultation with members of Congress".
Now, Mr. Biden's aides think they have little choice. Ukraine, which has deployed cluster munitions of its own in the war, is burning through the available supply of conventional artillery shells, and it will take time to ramp up production.
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