Address by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation is seriously concerned and condemns the controversial decision by the US administration to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.
It is certainly a hypocritical decision. A year and a half ago, the White House press secretary described the use of cluster munitions as a war crime, whereas today Washington has easily abandoned its former stance and adopted one that is the very opposite for time-serving considerations.
We consider it necessary to remind everyone that the United States used cluster munitions in many armed conflicts it launched, from Vietnam to Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. The practice of using cluster munitions around the world has shown that their unexploded elements can detonate years after conflicts end, killing and maiming civilians, including women, children and elderly people. The majority of those injured by cluster munitions were wounded in the course of their daily activities, and a third of the victims are children.
Washington knows without a doubt that the Kiev authorities’ promise to use these weapons “carefully and responsibly” is not to be trusted.
Civilians will inevitably take the blow, as always when the West sends increasingly more lethal weapons to Kiev.
By delivering cluster munitions, Washington will become an accomplice in the mining of large areas and will bear full responsibility for the death and injuries of innocent civilians. The International Committee of the Red Cross has repeatedly pointed out the serious humanitarian danger of cluster munitions, which “kill and maim indiscriminately and cause widespread human suffering.” The UN and several states have already condemned the US’s decision.
The Russian Senators note that the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine is evidence of impotence amid the failure of the much-trumpeted Ukrainian counteroffensive. Russia reserves the right to respond harshly in kind if the Kiev regime uses cluster munitions. This new “wonder weapon,” which Washington and Kiev are pinning their hopes on, will not change the course of Russia’s special military operation. All its goals will be achieved, and its tasks will be fulfilled.
The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation appeals to the parliaments of foreign states and international parliamentary organisations to condemn the decision of the United States to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, which is as another step towards the escalation of the conflict that will have serious humanitarian consequences.