12 July 2023, Wednesday, 19:00 739

Cluster munitions can "change the rules of the game" in fight against Russia - Reznikov

Editor: Daria Zubkova

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The Defense Minister of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, expressed hope that cluster munitions from the U.S. could "change the rules of the game" in the fight against Russian troops.

He said this on Tuesday, speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Politico reports.

Thus, Reznikov rejected the disapproval of some countries and humanitarian groups of the U.S. government's decision last week to send controversial weapons to Ukraine - cluster munitions.

"When we got the 155mm artillery systems in May 2022, that was a game changer. In July, we got different types of (salvo missile systems - ed.), that was the next game changer... And I hope that cluster munitions (will become - ed.) the next game changer as a weapon or munitions to liberate our temporarily occupied territories," he said.

At the same time, the Minister of Defense emphasized that the use of these weapons will be limited to non-urban areas on the territory of Ukraine. According to him, Ukraine's partners will also be informed about the use and effect of cluster weapons.

Cluster bombs are banned in many countries, but not in the USA, Ukraine and Russia. Munitions drop explosive bombs to destroy enemy soldiers over a large area, but unexploded ordnance can pose a long-term threat to civilians.

The aggressor state, the Russian Federation, has been using its own cluster munitions against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on July 7, the United States of America confirmed the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of military aid.

The USA hesitated for a long time whether to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, but after written guarantees from Ukraine, they agreed to transfer new weapons. Reznikov reported that Ukraine has five principles for the use of cluster munitions.

However, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said they did not approve of the United States' decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions to help break through Russian defense lines.