A European country seeks to send cluster munitions to Ukraine

A European country has proposed sending cluster munitions to Ukraine because it believes this type of controversial weapon can help Ukrainian forces on the battlefield, an official said Wednesday.

The European official, who didn’t wish to reveal his identity and the name of his country, said his government approved the shipment and was working to obtain permission from Germany, which was involved in the production of these munitions.

A UN treaty backed by most Western countries bans the use and transfer of cluster bombs, which deliver large numbers of explosive bomblets and often pose a threat long after conflicts have ended.

Russia hasn’t signed this treaty, and the United Nations has previously expressed concern about Moscow’s use of cluster munitions in populated areas of Ukraine last year.

However, the European official considered that cluster munitions have become more advanced and the West needs to be in an advanced position to support Ukraine.

“The Ukrainians are asking for it,” he added during a visit to Washington.

He continued “They’re legitimate weapons… Collateral damage isn’t as great as it used to be… It was very big in the ’40s and ’50s, and now it’s very manageable”.

He emphasized that “Ukraine needs to win the war… This is the goal… The Russians use weapons of all kinds that are 100 times more terrifying than cluster munitions”.

The official acknowledged that Germany needed some time to make a decision.

After being pressured, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday his agreement to send Leopard 2 heavy tanks to Ukraine.

Foreign Policy magazine reported earlier this month that Türkiye had supplied Ukraine with Cold War-era cluster munitions, however Ankara denied the report.