7 July 2023 at 20:17 The United States confirms: Will give disputed cluster weapons to Ukraine The United States will comply with Ukraine’s request to receive cluster weapons, says President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The International Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits all production and use of such weapons. Norway was the first country to sign the convention, which entered into force in 2010. It has now been ratified by 110 countries, but the USA and Ukraine are not among them. Cluster munitions are bombs, grenades or warheads that open in the air and scatter hundreds of smaller explosive charges over a large area. Undetonated explosive charges can remain for many years after hostilities are over and often strike civilians who have their arms and legs torn off. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in some cases up to 40 percent of explosive charges are left unexploded on the ground, where they can kill and maim for years. (NTB)
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