President Joe Biden has agreed to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, fulfilling a request from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite concern from arms control groups and human rights activists about the potential harm to civilians.
The Biden administration will announce that it’s providing Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICMs) as part of a new military assistance package set to be announced on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations.
Biden’s decision will be a controversial one because more than 100 countries — including France, Germany, the U.K. and many other NATO allies — are parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, a 2010 agreement that bans the use and transfer of such weapons. The U.S., Russia and Ukraine didn’t sign the agreement, although the U.S. has in the past condemned other countries, including Russia, for using them.
