On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, on the 7th of this month, the United States announced the provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine. According to Agence France-Presse, this means that Washington has crossed a rather difficult threshold in terms of the type of weapons it will provide to Kiev, and this move not only caused a protest in the United States, but also many countries such as Canada and Spain and the United Nations have opposed it.
Why did the U.S. decision cause an uproar in the U.S. and internationally? Chinese military experts told the Global Times reporter on the 9th that many unexploded bombs will fall to the ground during the use of cluster munitions, which means great danger to the people living in the relevant areas after the war. And even if there are so-called "use restraints", there are many uncontrollable factors in actual combat, and it is difficult to achieve the goal of not harming civilians.
In the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signed in 2010, more than 120 countries agreed to ban the use of cluster munitions. However, the United States, Russia and Ukraine have not signed the convention. The United States provided Ukraine with 155mm M864 cluster shells, which entered service with the US military in 1987.
According to US National Security Adviser Sullivan told the media, the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine "was a difficult decision" and "we postponed it for a while." But he added that it was "the right thing to do" and that President Biden made the decision after consulting with allies.
Explaining why the United States was supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine, Sullivan said, "We recognize that unexploded munitions from cluster munitions pose a risk of civilian harm. But if Russian troops and combat vehicles crush Ukrainian positions, occupy more Ukrainian territory, and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians because Ukraine does not have enough artillery, it will also pose a huge risk of civilian harm. ”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said in a statement that the Biden administration's decision to supply cluster munitions to the Kiev regime is another manifestation of the aggressive policy of the United States, which is aimed at delaying the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times on the 9th that Washington's decision has been more than a year since the US government and media accused Russia of "using cluster munitions as a war crime" in Ukraine, which once again showed the world the "double standards" of the United States.
He analyzed that the real reason why the United States provided cluster munitions to Ukraine this time has two aspects: one is to help Ukraine counterattack Russia, before Ukraine has failed to counterattack many times, Biden is eager to see Ukraine do something on the battlefield before the US election, so as to pull votes for himself, and the United States believes that the use of cluster munitions can help Ukraine's counteroffensive, especially to cause large-scale destruction of Russia's front-line military facilities and cause significant casualties; Second, the US military's move is "clearing stocks" - the cluster munitions provided to Ukraine this time are about to expire, and it is better to send them to Ukraine than to eliminate and destroy them, "killing many birds with one stone". Despite the advice of the US Democratic House of Representatives, it is better to destroy the remaining stockpiles of cluster munitions than to transfer them to Ukraine.
According to the Russian satellite news agency, the decision of the Biden administration has also been opposed in the United States. In an article published in The Washington Post, Democratic U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Jeff Merkley noted that the U.S. decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine was a serious mistake. According to The Hill, at least 38 human rights organizations have expressed opposition to the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine.
The US move has also attracted opposition from the United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, Germany and other countries. British Prime Minister Sunak said on the 8th that the Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions. Spanish Defense Minister Robles said on the same day that Spain has made a firm commitment to Ukraine, but at the same time promised that certain weapons and bombs cannot be supplied to other countries under any circumstances. The Canadian government said in a statement on the 8th that Canada does not support the use of cluster munitions and strives to prevent the harm of such weapons to civilians, especially children. In addition, Germany and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also oppose the US decision.
Military expert Wei Dongxu told the Global Times on the 9th that there are differences within NATO on what kind of weapons and equipment to provide to Ukraine, and European countries and the United States have very different judgment standards for this. European countries do not start solely on the lethal effect and do not consider other factors. European countries are aware of the greater harm that cluster munitions can cause to civilians and are therefore opposed.
He said that cluster munitions, also known as submunitions, are generally equipped with dozens or even hundreds of submunitions inside aerial bombs, and have a wide range of firepower, which can not only kill and injure personnel in a vast combat area, but also cover a large area of fire against enemy artillery positions. In addition, some cluster bombs also have armor-piercing functions and are specifically used against military vehicles such as tanks and armored vehicles.
"During use, many unexploded munitions will fall to the ground during their use, which means great danger to the people living in the relevant areas after the war," he said. ”
Some human rights groups say that many small projectiles in cluster munitions do not explode after they hit the ground, only to be seen by children who think they are toys, or by farmers who see them in their fields and pick them up and explode. These bombs, which fail to detonate after touching the ground, pose a danger for decades. Public reports show that from 1964 to 1973, during the Vietnam War, the U.S. military dropped more than two million tons of bombs on Laos, and it is estimated that one-third of the 270 million bomblets dropped did not explode. Their remnants continue to hamper agricultural development in the region, complicate and dangerous housing and infrastructure construction, and claim thousands of lives since the end of the war.
On the other hand, Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov welcomed the decision of the United States on the 8th, and promised that these cluster munitions will only be used in the territory of Ukraine occupied by Russia, will not be used in Russia, will not be used in cities, and will only be used in areas where Russian troops are concentrated. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said Washington asked Kiev to document the use of cluster munitions and ensure that they are not used in civilian areas.
Regarding these "self-restraint" measures in Ukraine, Wei Dongxu believes that in fact, it is difficult to restrict the scope of use of cluster munitions, especially during the operation, there are many uncontrollable factors, whether from the technical level or the practical level, it is difficult to achieve the relevant goals. "Even in the zones of engagement between the two sides, there are civilian lives, and cluster munitions cover a wide range of firepower, and once they fall into residential areas, or unexploded ordnance falls into residential areas, the harm to the population is direct."
Song Zhongping believes that the United States' provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine will definitely lead to more casualties, but it is not an "artifact", and it will not have an inevitable impact on the overall trend of the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict, and one or two weapons and equipment cannot play a leading role in the war system.
Source: Global Times-Global Network