World

Biden’s cluster bomb conundrum

President Biden’s decision to send cluster bombs to aid Ukraine’s war effort is facing backlash.

Driving the news: President Biden said that he “took a while to be convinced” to send the bombs but ultimately did so because Ukraine is running out of ammunition while struggling to make forward progress on the front lines.

• On Saturday, some Western allies of the U.S. refused to endorse the decision, including the UK and Spain.

• Both are part of the 123 countries that signed up to the Convention of Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the production or use of the weapons.

Why it matters: By supplying Ukraine with the weapons, the U.S. is sidestepping a law that bans the transfer, use, or production of cluster bombs that have a dud rate of 1% or higher.

The big picture: These types of bombs break apart in the air above a target into lots of smaller bomblets that can scatter over a large area. The projectiles can often be inaccurate and cause destruction to civilian areas.

• Dud munitions that fail to explode on impact can pose a serious risk to people, especially curious children who pick up the unstable devices.

Yes, but: Proponents of the move are quick to point out that Russia has been using cluster bombs heavily against Ukraine and that the U.S. is leveling the playing field by supplying the weapons.

Moving forward: Biden said that the move isn’t permanent and the U.S. is only supplying the cluster bombs to help Ukraine get through the trenches and stop Russian tanks from advancing.

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