And I think they needed them,” said Biden, who told Zakaria he had deeply considered the issue and consulted allies. "They either have the weapons to stop the Russians now - keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas - or they don’t. Moscow's success, he argued, poses an even greater threat than the controversial munitions. The US Defense Department defended its decision, in part, by emphasizing that it was providing only newer versions of the weapons which have lower "dud rates," meaning fewer bomblets go unexploded and pose a future threat.īiden outlines his thought process: US President Joe Biden told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that it was a "difficult decision" to provide Ukraine with the cluster munitions, but that he was ultimately convinced to send the weapons because Kyiv is running out of ammunition in its counteroffensive against Russia. The decision follows months of debate within the Biden administration about whether to, for the first time, provide Kyiv with the controversial weapons banned by over 100 countries - including key US allies.Ĭluster munitions scatter “bomblets” across large areas that can fail to explode on impact and can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines. Ukraine gets a controversial addition to its arsenal: The US will send cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package, officials confirmed. If you're just catching up, here are some of the key headlines this evening: There's been a flurry of news away from the battlefield in Ukraine today, as Kyiv's allies prepare for a consequential NATO summit in Lithuania next week, and the United States enters uncharted territory with its latest contribution to Ukraine's fight against Russia. Turkey claims that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate in Sweden, most notably the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Finland was accepted in April of this year, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia, but Sweden’s accession is currently being blocked by Turkey. Some context: Both Sweden and its neighbor Finland stated their intent to join NATO through its open-door policy in May last year, just weeks after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. "I asked Turkey to join into the efforts of rebuilding and transforming Ukraine, it is a colossal project, and we need Turkey’s experience and technology to help us." Zelensky also said the two leaders talked about "the joint work in the military-industrial complex, development of technologies, drone manufacturing and other strategic directions." "I raised the question of Ukraine's membership in the NATO alliance and was happy to hear that the President supports Ukraine to be a NATO member," Zelensky said.
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