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.
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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”.
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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.”
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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Putin’s Victory Day parade explained
The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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