Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said on July 18 that the US refusal to replenish stocks of cluster munitions after supplies to Ukraine shows that this is how old weapons are disposed of.
"We paid attention to the statements of representatives of the (American. — Ed.) of the administration that the United States is not going to replenish its own stocks of cluster munitions instead of those transferred to Kiev. This position perfectly demonstrates the true attitude of the United States towards Ukraine. Washington wants to use the republic for the disposal of old weapons, turning the once rich and fertile part of the USSR into a "burial ground" where it will simply be impossible to live," he said.
Antonov also pointed out that the US cover-up of Ukrainian radicals allows us to confidently talk about Washington's involvement in Kiev's crimes. Thus, he commented on the words of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken regarding the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge. According to the Ambassador, Washington has repeatedly justified Kiev's terrorist acts against Russian citizens and facilities, and also pretended not to notice the murders of journalist Daria Dugina, military commander Vladlen Tatarsky, "the brutal shelling of sleeping areas of Donetsk and other Russian cities by the Armed Forces of Ukraine." In a similar way, the United States distanced itself from last year's sabotage on the Crimean Bridge.
"Washington's cover-up of the Kiev radicals allows us to confidently talk about the involvement of the United States in Kiev's crimes. Intoxicated by American support, Ukrainian terrorists may commit new atrocities. However, there is no doubt that the regime that has settled in Ukraine will get what it deserves," the head of the Russian diplomatic mission stated.
Earlier, on July 11, Karen Kwiatowski, a former adviser and former analyst at the US Department of Defense, said that the Pentagon wanted to get rid of old weapons stocks, so it decided to supply cluster munitions to Kiev.
The United States approved the shipment of cluster munitions as assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on July 7. US President Joe Biden called the supply of these shells a temporary step aimed at supporting Ukraine until it is possible to increase the production of artillery shells. On July 13, the Pentagon confirmed the transfer of cluster munitions to Kiev.
In turn, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova noted that the transfer of cluster munitions is doomed to failure. This decision was not supported by many countries and representatives of the United States, the diplomat noted. According to her, the supply of these shells threatens the civilian population and contributes to the escalation of the conflict.
On July 12, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that the possible use of cluster munitions by Ukraine forces Russia to take certain countermeasures. However, according to him, it will be up to the Russian Defense Ministry to decide what they will be.
Back on July 7, the US President's national Security adviser Jake Sullivan assured that Washington had received written guarantees from the Ukrainian side that these shells would allegedly be used "with caution" in order to avoid risk to civilians.
The use of cluster munitions is prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which entered into force on August 1, 2010, 123 countries have signed it, but only 110 have ratified it. Of the European countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland and Estonia have not signed the convention.
