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JOE BIDEN’S decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine exposes the United States’ massive hypocrisy over war crimes, Stop the War has said.
The US president’s decision to send the widely banned weapons because “they’re running out of that ammunition” was also criticised by Labour and a former senior diplomat today.
Cluster munitions are prohibited by 123 countries including Britain because each bomb spreads many small bomblets over a wide area, posing a high risk to civilians.
Vice-chairman of the campaign coalition Chris Nineham told the Morning Star: “The reason Biden says it’s a difficult decision is because senior State Department officials have in the recent past condemned Russia for doing the exactly the same thing: for using cluster bombs in Ukraine, and even said it’s a war crime.
There’s a basic problem of massive hypocrisy here.
“It’s a terrible decision which is going to lead to the deaths of lots of people.
“The US argues it’s trying to liberate Ukraine, but as well as being barbaric in itself, it exposes the nature of the war, which is where the Ukrainians are the victims because of a proxy war between the US and its allies and Russia.”
Lord Ricketts, appointed Britain’s first national security adviser by David Cameron in 2010, told Sky News today that allies arming Ukraine are “uncomfortable” with Mr Biden’s plans to send Kiev cluster munitions.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told the programme that cluster munitions are not appropriate weapons to send to Ukraine.
“While I support President Biden’s desire to ensure Ukraine is fully armed to fight Russia, I am not convinced that these are the appropriate weapons,” she said.
Footage of Mr Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki saying the use of cluster bombs by Russia in Ukraine was “potentially a war crime” last February was being shared on social media today.
Mary Wareham of Human Rights Watch said: “Both sides should immediately stop using them and not try to get more of these indiscriminate weapons.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has distanced himself from Mr Biden’s decision ahead of his fifth meeting with him in London tomorrow.
Neither Russia, the US nor Ukraine are signatories to the treaty banning the weapons.
