Russia will respond with “comparable weapons” if the US supplies cluster bombs to Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has warned.
“If the United States supplies cluster bombs to Ukraine, the Russian military will be forced to use adequate weapons to respond to Ukrainian forces,” Russian Defense Minister Shoigu told reporters while visiting a defense factory in Moscow. The Republic of Tatarstan on 11/7.
Mr. Shoigu emphasized: “Remember, Russia also possesses cluster bombs in all cases. This weapon of ours is even more effective than that of the US, with a larger range and more diverse range.”
According to Shoigu, the Russian military has prepared measures to protect its forces from US cluster bombs in Ukraine.
Minister Shoigu noted that, like the United States, Ukraine, and Russia, Russia has not signed the Cluster Bomb Convention. On the other hand, he asserted that Moscow avoids using this weapon in the current conflict in Ukraine due to being “aware of the threat it can pose to civilians”.
The White House and Pentagon confirmed on July 7 that the United States would provide cluster bombs to Ukraine in a new military aid package worth $800 million.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the plan to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine was approved after thorough discussion and consultation by the President Joe Biden administration with Congress and allies, as well as based on the actual situation on the Ukrainian battlefield. He also stressed that Ukraine has committed that it will use this weapon with caution to minimize the risk to civilians.
Despite these assertions, Washington’s plan to supply cluster bombs to Kiev still faces the reaction of its allies.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also opposed the plan. “Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports the Cluster Munitions Convention, which was adopted 15 years ago. He wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention,” said United Nations Secretary-General spokesman Farhan Haq. country said.
“The conflict will last if the West continues to supply Ukraine with weapons”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned yesterday that the conflict in Ukraine will not end as long as the West does not give up its plan to defeat Russia on the battlefield.
“Why is the conflict in Ukraine not over? The answer is simple: This war will last until the West gives up its goal of borrowing Ukraine’s hand to make Russia a strategic defeat on the battlefield. I see no sign of the West giving up on that,” Lavrov said.
In addition, the Russian diplomat accused the West of ignoring the proposals of developing countries for a peace plan in Ukraine. On the other hand, Lavrov rejected the “peace formula” put forward by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“They (Ukraine) are promoting their peace plan, seeing it as the only option to resolve the current conflict. In fact, that plan includes a series of ultimatums to Russia… To be legitimate. making demands has nothing to do with finding a real solution, they are trying to convene some peace summit in the near future,” he said.
