Spain and UK oppose provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine

Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Saturday that they do not approve the United States' decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions to help break through Russian defence lines.

Source: European Pravda

Details: During a conversation with journalists on Saturday, the head of the Spanish Ministry of Defence said that she is against the decision of the United States to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, but emphasised that she respects the decision of a "sovereign country".

"Spain, based on the firm commitments it has with Ukraine, also has a firm commitment that certain weapons and bombs cannot be delivered under any circumstances... No to cluster bombs and yes to assistance for the legitimate defence of Ukraine," RTVE TV channel quotes Robles.

In his turn, Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the UK, in a statement to the media quoted by Sky News, emphasised that he "does not approve" the use of cluster munitions, and reminded that the UK has signed a convention banning them.

"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 added.

Background:

• On Friday, the US officially announced the provision of a new package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 800 million dollars, which included, in particular, dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM), or cluster shells.

• The White House previously explained that Ukraine has pledged to minimise the risk of using cluster munitions, and those that the US will provide pose significantly lower risks to civilians than those that Russia already uses on the battlefield.

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