Putin says Russia has ‘sufficient stockpile’ of cluster bombs as Ukraine gets its own supply from U.S.

Cluster bomb units at a Lebanese military base in 2011. The munitions have been criticized by humanitarian groups because they often leave behind unexploded bomblets that kill or maim civilians. (Associated Press)

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published Sunday that Moscow has a “sufficient stockpile” of cluster munitions, and warned that Russia “reserves the right to take reciprocal action” if Ukraine uses the controversial weapons.

In his first comments on the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine from the U.S., Putin said that Russia hasn’t used cluster bombs in the war with Ukraine so far. But the use of cluster bombs by both Russia and Ukraine has been widely documented, including by The Associated Press and international humanitarian organizations, and cluster rounds have been found in the aftermath of Russian strikes.