Real happy to see cluster munitions coming. I just have not understood the hesitancy at all. We aren’t party to the international agreement not to use them. And the whole argument by humanitarian groups that they are dangerous to civilians rings entirely hollow to me in this situation. Using them while invading another country is one thing, as you’re creating a dangerous situation in somebody else’s future territory (like when we used them in the Middle East or when Russia uses them in Ukraine). But it’s an entirely different thing imo when it’s Ukraine using them on its own territory. They aren’t going to be using them near their own civilians. They are using them to kick the enemy out, and it will be their own responsibility to clean up afterwards. It should not be anybody else’s business what they choose to do to their own territory when it has zero impact on anyone else’s (as opposed to them using something like a nuke on their own territory that COULD affect someone beyond their borders). It’s a localized weapon that is perfectly suited to their situation. If they want them, I frankly find it disgusting that we haven’t provided them sooner. Especially since Russia is already using them all over Ukraine, and I guarantee those Russian munitions have a much higher failure rate than ours. So the biggest argument against providing them is moot.
But as with everything else in this war, better late than never!