Cabinet Secretary General Hirokazu Matsuno noted that this is a bilateral issue between Washington and Kiev
TOKYO, July 10. /tass/. The Secretary General of the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan, Hirokazu Matsuno, has avoided direct comments on the US supplies of cluster munitions to Ukraine, while once again stating the need for Kiev's support from the international community.
"We are aware that the US government has announced additional assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of cluster munitions, but since this is a bilateral issue between the United States and Ukraine, I will refrain from commenting on the content," he said at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday. At the same time, Matsuno added that, according to Japan, "the situation in Ukraine is entering a critical phase and it is important that the international community remains united in its resolute support for Kiev." "In this context, the role that the United States has played so far in helping Ukraine is important," the Secretary General of the Japanese Cabinet added.
On July 7, Assistant to the US President for National Security Jake Sullivan announced that the United States had decided to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine, the use of which is opposed by the UN. He also noted that Kiev had provided Washington with written guarantees that it would minimize the risks to civilians when using this type of ammunition.
Earlier, the deputy official representative of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Farhan Haq, commenting on US media reports about the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, said that the head of the world organization supports the Convention on the Prohibition of Cluster Munitions and opposes the use of this type of weapons on the battlefield.
