The United States is expected to announce on Friday that it will send Ukraine widely-banned cluster munitions as part of an $800 million security package, a move Ukraine said would have an "extraordinary psycho-emotional impact" on occupying Russian forces, APA reports.
Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. They typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area and those that fail to explode pose a danger for decades after a conflict ends.
Human rights groups oppose Washington's decision, but the munitions could provide a boost to a Ukrainian counteroffensive to reclaim territory seized by Russian forces since they invaded in February 2022.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is against the continued use of cluster munitions, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday when asked about the planned U.S. announcement.
U.S. ally Germany said on Friday it opposes sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. Germany is one of 111 states party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The U.S. is not a party to the convention.
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