President Joe Biden’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine has generated heated opposition from close U.S. allies, human-rights groups, and current and former politicians, who question the morality of deploying weapons banned by more than 100 countries. Greater use of cluster bombs may well increase the death toll for both combatants and civilians. Failing to supply Ukraine with the arms it needs to prevail would be worse.
In a meeting Wednesday at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Biden for sending the bombs, as Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia encounters tough resistance. The country’s military officials argue that cluster munitions, which can scatter dozens of explosive bomblets over a wide area, are key to clearing troops from their trenches and overcoming Russia’s advantages in manpower and armor. The bombs will also allow Ukraine to conserve its dwindling artillery shells and limit further drawdowns of America’s own stockpiles.
It’s worth noting that the U.S. isn’t introducing these munitions to the conflict for the first time. Ukraine’s military effectively used its supply of Soviet-era cluster bombs to repel Russian advances during the early days of the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has wielded cluster bombs indiscriminately — including in civilian areas — killing hundreds so far.
