Varadkar to raise objection to ‘wrong’ use of cluster munitions with US

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described the use of cluster munitions as “wrong” and said he would raise the Biden administration’s decision to send such weaponry to Ukraine with US officials.

Joe Biden has recently faced criticism over the decision to provide cluster munitions, which are banned by many allies in Nato because of their track record of killing many civilians.

“I think it’s the wrong decision,” Mr Varadkar said, speaking in Cork. “The United States are allies of ours and of course we support Ukraine in their battle to defend their country and defend their freedom in democracy. Both Russia and Ukraine are using cluster bombs. I think that’s wrong.

“These are weapons that injure civilians and they are the weapons that can be around for a long time and still injure people many years later so I don’t think it’s the right decision and we will be saying that to our American colleagues.

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“Ireland is one of those countries that has banned use of cluster bombs and was involved in the UN Convention on Cluster bombs that I think has been signed up to by over 100 countries.”

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney added: “Ireland has a very long history campaigning on cluster munitions and their use, [and] the impact that they have on civilians.

“We had a very large seminar in Dublin, which had over 100 countries making very, very clear and internationally backed statements on the use of cluster munitions in built up areas and the impact of that on civilians.

“So, I think the Taoiseach is right here – the US, of course are friends of ours, we are close to them in many ways but that doesn’t mean that you can’t disagree on certain issues.

“To add more cluster munitions to what is already a war that is that is impacting severely on civilians is not the right decision.”

The US president sought to justify the bombs as being necessary because the “Ukrainians are running out of ammunition” and they will be a temporary measure to stop Moscow’s tanks.

The Biden administration said it had taken the decision after taking “a real hard look” at the potential danger to civilians.

British prime minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday made clear Britain “discourages” the use of cluster munitions after Mr Biden agreed to send the bombs to Ukraine to aid the fight against Russia.

Mr Sunak highlighted that the UK was one of 123 signatories of a convention banning their use after the US president made the “difficult decision”.

Ukraine’s minister for defence Oleksii Reznikov on Saturday welcomed Mr Biden’s decision, saying it would help to liberate Ukrainian territory but promised the munitions would not be used in Russia.

Mr Reznikov said the munitions would help save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, adding Ukraine would keep a strict record of their use and exchange information with its partners.

“Our position is simple – we need to liberate our temporarily occupied territories and save the lives of our people,” Mr Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

“Ukraine will use these munitions only for the de-occupation of our internationally recognised territories. These munitions will not be used on the officially recognised territory of Russia.”

It comes as Kyiv is increasingly pessimistic about taking a significant step forward in joining Nato as leaders of the western military alliance are set to assemble on Tuesday in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.

Ukraine is expected to be offered a package of last-minute “enabling security guarantees” at the two-day summit – assurances from countries such as the US, UK, France and Germany that military aid and training will continue in the long term.

Mr Biden, who arrived in the UK on Sunday night in advance of the summit, told CNN that Ukraine was “not yet ready” for Nato membership. “Nato is a process that takes some time to meet all the qualifications – from democratisation to a whole range of other issues,” he said, adding that Nato needed to “lay out a rational path” for membership.

Kyiv believes Nato membership, carrying with it the defensive prospect of the western nuclear umbrella, is the only realistic long-term guarantee of its security since it is still likely to face a hostile Russia even if it can somehow force Moscow to sue for peace.

Before the summit, Mr Biden will travel to Downing Street on Monday to hold a low-key meeting with Mr Sunak, their fifth in as many months and just a month after the two agreed in Washington to an “Atlantic Declaration” and to work together on advanced technologies, clean energy and critical minerals.

The White House said the trip was designed “to further strengthen the close relationship between our nations”. Following the Nato summit, the US president is then expected to travel to Helsinki for a meeting with Nordic leaders. – Additional reporting by the Guardian.