Some lawmakers say the decision cedes the moral high ground and will kill civilians.
Key Democratic lawmakers are breaking with President Joe Biden over the controversial decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine, arguing that providing the weapons, which are banned by more than 120 countries, cedes the moral high ground and will end up indiscriminately killing civilians.
The Democratic lawmakers noted that Congress has barred the transfer of any cluster munition with a “dud rate” of greater than 1 percent, though Biden can waive the rule. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday defended the administration’s decision, saying, “Russia has been using cluster munitions since the start of this war to attack Ukraine.”
“I challenge the notion that we should employ the same tactics Russia is using, blurring the lines of moral high ground,” said Houlahan, who co-chairs the bipartisan Unexploded Ordinance /Demining Caucus. “And I challenge all of us to remember that this war will end, and the broken pieces of Ukraine will need to be rebuilt. History remembers not only who wins a war but also how a war is won.”
A Defense Department official, who was granted anonymity to speak ahead of an announcement, said the Pentagon had provided test results, which are classified, to members of Congress upon request. However, the official acknowledged that variables in the field can significantly affect the dud rate. In a statement Friday, the Republicans hailed the administration move as relieving pressure on stockpiles of unitary missiles but slammed what they called its delay in sending a range of weapons over a “misguided fear of escalation” that they say risks the success of Kyiv’s counteroffensive.of Connecticut, has said Washington should give Kyiv what it says it needs to win the fight, including cluster munitions, longer-range missiles and F-16 fighter jets.
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