War in Ukraine, day 499 | US to supply cluster munitions to Kyiv

(Washington and Bratislava) The United States announced on Friday new military aid in support of Ukraine against Russia, including cluster munitions, crossing a new threshold in the type of armaments provided to Kyiv.

“It was a very difficult decision for me,” said President Biden according to excerpts broadcast Friday from an interview with CNN, specifying that he had discussed it beforehand with the allied countries and the American Congress.

“It’s an ammunition war. And [les Ukrainiens] are running out of ammunition and our stocks are running out,” he added.

“It was not an easy decision,” he continued, noting that many countries ban the use and production of cluster munitions under the 2008 Oslo Convention. Neither the United States nor Ukraine are signatories to this convention.

“It took me a long time to be convinced to do it,” said the American president. “The main thing is that they either have these weapons to stop the Russians now […] or they don’t have them. And I think they need it”.

The National Security Advisor of the White House, Jake Sullivan, assured that the Ukrainians had provided “written” guarantees on the use they would make of these weapons to minimize “the risks posed to civilians”.

The announcement comes as part of a new $800 million military assistance package for Ukraine that brings total U.S. military assistance since the war began in February 2022 to over of $41 billion.

In addition to cluster munitions, the United States will provide armored vehicles, artillery munitions, anti-tank weapons and other equipment.

These so-called cluster munitions disperse or release small explosive charges designed to explode before impact, on impact or after impact. Depending on the type of weapon used, the number of submunitions dispersed or released can range from a few dozen to over 600.

Mr. Sullivan justified himself at length on this decision, denounced by NGOs, arguing that “artillery is at the heart of this conflict” and that Russia has used this type of weapon since the start of the war.

Mr. Sullivan also indicated that Ukraine does not “join[drait] not NATO” at the end of the Vilnius summit, scheduled for next week, even if this question will be raised during the event.

Kyiv “still has many steps to take before it can become a member” of the Atlantic Alliance, he said.

This question will be at the center of the summit in the Lithuanian capital, where NATO leaders are however expected to reaffirm their intention to eventually integrate Ukraine into the Alliance. The exact wording of this commitment, which meets strong expectations from Kyiv, is the subject of intense negotiations.

The White House has also said that it expects Sweden to join NATO “in the near future”.

The national security adviser said it was “possible” that Turkey and Hungary, which are currently blocking Stockholm’s membership, would change their position next week at the Alliance summit, saying that even if it wasn’t not the case, Washington estimated “that it will happen [it] in a close future “.

Ukraine ‘deserves’ to join NATO, says Erdogan

Ukraine “deserves to join NATO”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled on Friday after a meeting in Istanbul with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kyiv wants to join the Atlantic Alliance but the United States warned on Friday that Ukraine “will not join NATO” after the Alliance summit scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Vilnius.

The Turkish head of state, who announced the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin “next month”, also considered that Russia and Ukraine “should return to peace talks”.

Mr Erdogan, who was speaking alongside President Zelensky, also wanted the agreement on the export of Ukrainian cereals, concluded in July 2022 with the sponsorship of the United Nations and Turkey, to be extended.

“We hope the deal will be extended,” Erdogan said, as Russia said it saw no reason to extend it when it expires on July 17.

Weapons needed

Mr. Zelensky was in Prague in the morning, where he again urged the West to deliver him long-range weapons, the absence of which he said is slowing down the Ukrainian counter-offensive that has been underway for a month, indicating that these deliveries did not depend only the green light from the United States.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced that his country would send helicopter gunships to Kyiv and train Ukrainian pilots on American-made F-16 jet fighters that Ukraine has been asking for from the West for months.

On the ground, the Ukrainian army announced in the morning that it had shot down 12 Shahed-type explosive drones out of a total of 18 launched by Russia overnight from Thursday to Friday. The attack left two dead.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi for his part announced on Friday “progress” in his organization’s access to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant occupied by Russia in the south of the Ukraine, where Kyiv says it fears a Russian “provocation”.

During a visit to Tokyo, Mr Grossi specified that his inspectors had visited several sites of the plant, the largest in Europe, and in particular its cooling bridges, but that they had not had access to the roofs where Ukraine suspects the Russian army of planting explosives.

Moscow and Kyiv had been accusing each other for several days of an imminent provocation in this plant.

The best decision, whatever it is

Negotiations with the Turkish president, who has close ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, are expected to focus on a deal to export Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea, despite the war, as well as the summit NATO on Tuesday and Wednesday in Vilnius.

The July 2022 grain deal with UN and Turkish sponsorship expires on July 17 and Russia has said it sees no reason to extend it.

The Kremlin said Friday to follow “very closely” the discussions between MM. Zelensky and Erdogan while promising to maintain a “constructive partnership with Ankara” and welcoming the “mediator role” of the Turkish president in the conflict in Ukraine.

According to experts, Volodymyr Zelensky should also encourage his Turkish counterpart to give the green light to Sweden joining the Atlantic Alliance, as NATO officials hope to convince Ankara to lift its veto on the idea.

On Friday, Mr. Erdogan indicated that Turkey was going to take “the best decision” concerning Sweden’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance.

“We will discuss it with our partners at the summit to be held in Vilnius on Tuesday and we will take the best decision, whatever it is,” he said.

The Turkish president, who has blocked Sweden’s entry into NATO since May 2022, reproaching him for his alleged leniency towards Kurdish militants who have taken refuge on his soil, said he was in favor of “the open door policy”.

But, he continued, “how can a state that does not distance itself from terrorist organizations contribute to NATO? »