The US Cluster Munition Coalition has condemned the third transfer of US cluster munitions to Ukraine, which are reportedly fitted on long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), urging Washington to reconsider the move and review the possible humanitarian, human rights, and political risks.
"The US Cluster Munition Coalition (USCMC) is deeply dismayed by the Biden administration's decision to transfer a third round of cluster munitions to Ukraine […] The latest transfer reportedly consists of an unspecified quantity of US stocks of a cluster munition delivered by ballistic missiles (ATACMS) with a 100-mile range. Each missile contains 950 M74 antipersonnel/anti-material submunitions," the statement reads.
The coalition has repeatedly asked the Biden administration to provide information regarding the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, including on the specific types and quantities, but "most of its questions remain unanswered three months later," according to the statement.
"The USCMC calls on the United States to change course and not be complicit in the use of these devastating and indiscriminate weapons. It strongly urges President Biden to reconsider the decision given the significant humanitarian, human rights, and political risks involved," the statement added.
On Wednesday, a White House National Security Council spokesperson confirmed to Sputnik that the United States had already shipped ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 165 kilometers (102 miles) to Ukraine to use against Russian forces. The versions supplied to Kiev are equipped with cluster munitions, according to media reports. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the deliveries as another mistake that would only prolong Kiev’s "agony."
Last year, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate and defend the inhabitants of the Donbass region, where people have been suffering from a blockade and regular attacks by the Kiev regime's forces since 2014. Russia has insisted that providing further aid to Ukraine will only prolong the conflict without contributing to its resolution.