Rishi Sunak opposes cluster bombs use in Ukraine
Rishi Sunak has restated that the UK “discourages” the use of cluster bombs after the US decided to send them to Ukraine.
The UK is one nation with barred weapons with a record of killing people under an existing convention.
PM Sunak says the UK is against the use of cluster bombs:
The PM stressed the government’s continued help for Ukraine. On Friday, US President Joe Biden stated he had made a “tough decision” to send them to Kyiv.
Spain and Canada, two of 123 countries to outlaw cluster bombs, have criticised the decision to provide them, which has even been reprimanded by human rights groups.
Cluster munitions spread large numbers of tiny bomblets from a rocket, missile or artillery shell that disperses them in mid-flight over a vast area.
They are used to blast on impact, but a significant proportion fails to burst initially – usually when they land on a wet or soft base. This means they can burst after, killing or injuring civilians.
Neither the US, Ukraine, nor Russia are signatories of the global pact – the Convention on Cluster Munitions – restricting their use or stockpiling over the indiscriminate harm they can impose on civilian populations.
Speaking to journalists in Selby, Yorkshire, on Saturday, Mr Sunak stated the UK is “signatory to a convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use”.
“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,” he continued.
“Russia’s barbarism is causing untold suffering to millions of people.”
On Monday, Mr Sunak is scheduled to meet with Mr Biden in London before heading to a Nato summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, on Tuesday.
Rishi Sunak commented carefully when questioned to reply to the US giving cluster munition to Ukraine. He didn’t criticise the US’s decision but suggested that the Convention deters using bombs.
The UK is Ukraine’s second biggest provider of military help – just behind the US. As the war in Ukraine grows, so do Kyiv’s allies’ answers – on this point, the US and UK have gone in different directions.
