US To Announce Supply Of Cluster Munitions To Ukraine Tomorrow

Reuters and the New York Times reporting that the US is expected to announce the provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine tomorrow.

• NYT reports, "Kyiv has been pushing for the controversial and widely banned type of weapon but Washington has resisted because of its potential to cause indiscriminate harm to civilians."
• Ukraine believes cluster weapons could be a game changer on the battlefield, allowing Kyiv to target entrenched Russian defensive positions and decrease the risk to troops.
• National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in December that the US had “concerns” about cluster munitions because of the risk to civilians posed by unexploded ordnance.
• Pentagon official, Laura Cooper, told a Congressional hearing last month that cluster munitions would be useful for Ukraine, “especially against dug-in Russian positions on the battlefield.”
• The United States, Russia, and Ukraine all declined to sign a treaty banning the use of cluster munitions in 2008.
• A pivot to supplying the controversial weapon may be a sign the US recognises the Ukrainian counteroffensive is progressing slower than expected and incurring heavily losses than anticipated.