Antonov: US Approval of Cluster Bombs for Ukraine Bringing Humanity Closer to World War

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The decision by the United States to deliver cluster munitions to Ukraine is a provocation that is pushing humankind closer to a new world war, Russian Ambassador in Washington Anatoly Antonov said on Friday.

"With tenacity worthy of a better use, Washington continues to ‘raise the stakes’ in the conflict," Antonov said in a statement.

"No one doubted the deep involvement of the United States in the confrontation in Ukraine even without cluster munitions. However, the current level of American provocations is really off scale, bringing humanity closer to a new world war."

Antonov emphasized that the United States is so obsessed with the idea of ​​defeating Russia that it does not realize the severity of its actions, which only lead to an increase in the number of victims and prolong the Kiev regime’s agony.

"The cruelty and cynicism with which Washington approached the issue of transferring deadly weapons to Kiev is striking," Antonov said.

"The [Biden] administration completely ignored the theses about the inhumanity of such a step, voiced by experts, human rights activists and legislators, turning a blind eye to civilian casualties. Now, through the fault of the United States, for many years there will be a risk that innocent civilians will be blown up by non-functioning submunitions."

Antonov went on to blast the decision as a gesture of desperation by Washington as it chose to openly ignore objections posed by its allies.

"Cluster munitions are a gesture of desperation," Antonov said.

"Such a measure speaks of the recognition by the United States and its satellites of their impotence. However, here they do not want to admit their own failures and the failure of the attempts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to carry out an offensive against the Russian regions. Therefore, they commit new madness."

"Washington ignored the negative voice of its allies regarding the dangerous use of indiscriminate cluster munitions," Antonov said.

"This is despite the fact that among the members of the North Atlantic Alliance, there are many states that participate in the well-known Convention on Cluster Munitions. The UN Secretary-General's concerns also meant nothing to the administration."

Echoing Antonov's viewpoint, similar remarks were also made by Konstantin Kosachev, who serves as the deputy speaker of the Russian upper house. The Russian lawmaker noted that the US' decision effectively confirms Washington's readiness to kill civilians for the sake of continuing hostilities.

"In fact, the United States confirmed Kiev's inability to achieve anything without the use of the most condemned weapons, confirmed readiness to kill civilians for the sake of continuing hostilities at any cost and assumed full responsibility for all future victims of this monstrous weapon," Kosachev said on Telegram.

The commentary comes moments after the US unveiled a new military assistance package for Ukraine that includes cluster munitions, a controversial weapon banned in dozens of countries and long seen as a danger to non-combatants.

Often times, the munitions fail to ignite upon deployment and more times than not detonated by civilian activity years after hostilities in affected areas come to a close. In fact, the International Committee of the Red Cross has reported that such arms have a 10-40% fail rate.

Shortly after the munitions announcement was made, US President Joe Biden in an interview with US media claimed the move was a "very difficult decision," but that he did so at the recommendation of the Pentagon as "this is a war relating to munitions."