Rishi Sunak ‘discourages’ use of cluster bombs after Biden agrees to send controversial munitions Ukraine
Rishi Sunak has said the UK “discourages” the use of cluster bombs after the US agreed to send them to Ukraine.
President Joe Biden has faced criticism for supplying the munitions, which are banned by many allies because of their track record of killing and maiming civilians.
The prime minister said the UK was one of 123 countries that signed a convention banning their use, and would continue focusing on supplying tanks and long-range weapons to help the fight against Russia.
Zelenskyy visits Ukraine’s ‘free island’ on war’s 500th day – War latest
He added: “We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, but we’ve done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine.
“Russia’s act of barbarism is causing untold suffering to millions of people.
“It’s right that we collectively stand up to it.”
Mr Sunak will meet Mr Biden in London on Monday ahead of a NATO summit.
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What are cluster bombs?
Why cluster bombs decision is controversial
Cluster bombs detonate in the air and release “bomblets” that scatter over a large area.
Opponents say they kill indiscriminately and that some of the smaller munitions can fail to detonate, posing a long-term risk to civilians.
Mr Biden has called it a “difficult decision” but said he had to act as “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition”.
The US says Kyiv has provided assurances it will not use cluster bombs in urban areas, but some NATO allies are likely to be uneasy over their supply.
Why US cluster bombs decision is already causing splits among allies
The US decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine is extremely controversial and is already causing splits in the alliance.
The problem is many of the allies – including the UK – are signatories to a convention banning their use.
And the reason for that is simple – as weapons they are absolutely horrific, hanging around long after the fighting has ceased with the potential to kill indiscriminately.
The US has got Kyiv to agree not to use the munitions in built-up areas but that’s hardly the point – and it’s why there is great unease about their supply.
Cluster munitions describe a method of dispersing large numbers of bomblets over a wide area – they can be delivered by missile, rocket or artillery shell.
They are meant to explode on impact but many don’t, meaning they remain where they fall and can be trodden on by civilians.
They are thought extremely effective as an area weapon, especially when used against heavily fortified positions.
And with Ukraine’s counteroffensive making slow progress the calculation in Washington seems to be that they could help advancing forces to break Russian lines.
Ukraine is also running low on artillery shells.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine are signatories to the treaty and both have used them since the start of the invasion.
The political dimension to all this is awkward but it’s unlikely to derail the alliance.
Downing Street has made its position clear and that will probably be the end of the matter.
There’s though, a real danger of the moral ground the West considers itself to stand on, on the issue of Ukraine, becoming eroded.
Russian war crimes are well documented but Washington is certainly opening itself up to accusations of hypocrisy and double standards.
Some human rights groups consider even the use of cluster munitions as a war crime.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits their use or stockpiling because of their indiscriminate effect on civilian populations, though the US, Ukraine, and Russia are not signatories.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions so far in the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the US for the “timely, broad and much-needed defence aid package” that will “bring Ukraine closer to victory over the enemy, and democracy to victory over dictatorship”.
Read more:
US cluster bombs deal is clear signal that war is not going well for Ukraine
Ukraine war is at a critical moment – and Zelenskyy needs some good news
Opponents say cluster bombs kill indiscriminately and pose a long-term risk to civilians. File pic
Biden’s made ‘wrong call’
Commons Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood urged the US to “reconsider”.
The Tory MP tweeted: “This is the wrong call and will alienate international good will. Their use leaves deadly unexploded ordnance over the battlefield, killing & injuring civilians .”
But Dr Yuriy Sak, adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister, told Sky News: “It is an important move. It is a timely move.
“Russia has been using cluster munitions from day one of this aggressive, unprovoked war against Ukraine. They’ve been using cluster munitions against civilian cities.
“Now, we need these types of weapons as well as other types of weapons, in order for us to achieve one single sole purpose, which is to liberate our land.”
He added: “We will be using these weapons very responsibly.
“Our minister of defence has given written assurances that certain principles will be applied.
“We have a right to self-defence… but in exercising that right, we will always commit ourselves to abiding the international norms of war and humanitarian laws.
“We are dealing with an enemy who is killing our civilians every day.”
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Zelenskyy marks 500 days of conflict
‘The only target will be the enemy’
Insisting the weapons would not be used in urban areas, Dr Sak said: “They will be used only on the battlefield to allow the Ukrainian army to break through the defence lines of the enemy.
“The only target will be the enemy.”
Germany, which is signed up to the cluster bomb ban, has expressed understanding for the American position.
A spokesman for the Berlin government said: “We’re certain that our US friends didn’t take the decision about supplying such ammunition lightly.
“We need to remember once again that Russia has already used cluster ammunition at a large scale in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
But Spain, also a signatory to the convention, said it opposed the decision.
Spanish defence minister Margarita Robles said: “Spain, based on the firm commitment it has with Ukraine,
also has a firm commitment that certain weapons and bombs cannot be delivered under any circumstances.”
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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