President Biden defended his decision on Friday to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, which are outlawed by many of America’s closest allies, saying it was a difficult decision but “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition” in the fight against Russian forces.
For months, Mr. Biden had wrestled with the decision to supply the weapons, which scatter tiny, deadly bomblets across the battlefield.
Ultimately, the president determined that depriving Ukraine of the weapons would amount to leaving it defenseless against Russia.
He said it was a temporary move to hold Ukraine over until the production of conventional artillery rounds could be ramped up.
“It was a very difficult decision on my part — and by the way, I discussed this with our allies, I discussed this with our friends up on the Hill,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with CNN.
Persons:
Biden, America’s, ” Mr, “
Organizations:
Russian, Russia, CNN
Locations:
Ukraine