The US will supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, the White House said on Friday, crossing an important threshold in the type of weaponry offered to Kyiv to defend itself against Russia.
The weapons are part of a new military aid package worth up to $800 million, ABC News reported.
Many countries have banned cluster munitions for years and human rights groups oppose their use, pointing to the danger they pose to civilians.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan acknowledged the risk posed by such munitions, but stressed that bolstering Ukraine's artillery strength was the right thing to do.
"We recognize cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordinance," he told reporters. "This is why we deferred the decision for as long as we could."
"But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians because Ukraine does not have enough artillery," he said. "That is intolerable to us."
He said President Joe Biden had made the decision in consultation with allies and after a “unanimous recommendation” from his administration.
Sullivan further assured that the Ukrainians had provided guarantees “in writing” on the use they would make of these weapons to minimise the risks posed to civilians.
He also said Ukraine would not join Nato after next week’s Vilnius summit, although the issue would be raised at the event.
Kyiv still has many steps to take before it can become a member of the Atlantic Alliance, he added.
