Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor defended US President Joe Biden’s Administration controversial decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine amid the latter’s war against Russia.
“Our moral authority has not derived from being a signatory to the Convention Against Cluster Munitions. We are not, we have not been, at any point since that convention came into effect. Neither has Ukraine,” Sullivan said during an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd.
Sullivan’s remarks came in response to the critics, arguing that supplying the aforementioned weapons would compromise the country’s moral authority.
“Our moral authority and Ukraine’s moral authority in this conflict comes from the fact that we are supporting a country under brutal, vicious attack by its neighbor, with missiles and bombs raining down on its cities, killing its civilians, destroying its schools, its churches, its hospitals,” Sullivan argued.
“And the idea that providing Ukraine with a weapon in order for them to be able to defend their homeland, protect their civilians, is somehow a challenge to our moral authority, I find questionable,” he explained.
The arguments were based on the Convention Against Cluster Munitions, which bans the use, transfer and production of cluster bombs.
Although more than two-thirds of NATO members are signatories to the cluster munitions ban, Russia, Ukraine and the United States have chosen not to participate.
In fact, the Biden administration recently announced its plan to include cluster ammunitions as part of its $800 million military aid package to Ukraine.
Last week, both the Pentagon and Kyiv confirmed the shipment’s arrival.
Amid the controversy, Sullivan noted the urgency of the situation and explained that the US is “stepping up” to provide the necessary aid to prevent Ukraine from being defenseless in the face of Russian aggression.
“I would say that we are stepping up to give Ukraine what it needs in order to not be defenseless in the face of a Russian onslaught,” Sullivan said.
“We are simply not going to leave Ukraine defenseless. The President was determined on that point. And we remain committed to that,” he added.
In response to the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a warning.
According to Putin if the US-supplied cluster munitions were to be used against Russia, his country reserves the right to respond reciprocally.
“I want to note that in the Russian Federation there is a sufficient stockpile of different kinds of cluster bombs. We have not used them yet. But of course if they are used against us, we reserve the right to take reciprocal action.” Putin said.
