Russia-Ukraine war updates: US to provide cluster bombs to Kyiv
The statement follows an announcement by Kyiv saying it would welcome receiving cluster munitions from the US.
The live blog is now closed. Thank you for joining us. Here are the updates for July 7:
The live blog is now closed. Thank you for joining us. Here are the updates for July 7:
- The US will provide thousands of cluster munitions to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said.
- The announcement on Friday comes despite concerns about the deployment of weapons banned by more than 100 countries.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on whistle-stop tour of NATO states before the Western military alliance meets in Lithuania next week for a key summit.
- Ukraine says its troops have made marginal advances near Bakhmut as part of a push to retake the eastern city occupied by Russian forces.
Ukrainian counteroffensive slower than expected, but too soon to tell end result: Pentagon
Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces is going more slowly than some expected, but it remains too early to draw conclusions about Kyiv’s prospects for battlefield gains, a senior Pentagon official says.
Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s top policy adviser, told reporters that Russia was more successful digging into defensive positions “than perhaps was fully appreciated”.
He expressed confidence that Kyiv was doing its best in a difficult fight.
“It’s too early to judge how the counteroffensive is going one way or the other because we’re at the beginning of the middle,” Kahl said at the Pentagon.
“They are still probing Russian lines, Russian areas for weak spots, and the real test will be when they identify those, how rapidly they’re able to exploit those weak spots.”
Russian exports might evaporate if Black Sea deal not extended by Moscow: UN
If Russia does not agree to extend a deal allowing the safe export of grain and fertiliser from Ukrainian ports, it is unlikely Western states would continue cooperating with UN officials helping Moscow with its exports, the UN aid chief says.
“The world has seen the value of the Black Sea Initiative. … This isn’t something you chuck away,” Martin Griffiths told reporters.
Russia has threatened to quit the deal, which expires on July 17, because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertiliser have not been met. The last three ships travelling under the deal are loading cargo at the Ukrainian port of Odesa and are likely to depart on Monday.
The UN and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Initiative with Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help tackle a global food crisis worsened by Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor and blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
Rebeca Grynspan, who is working to ease Russia’s food and fertiliser exports, hopes to travel to Moscow before July 17 while Griffiths hopes to meet with the parties next week in Istanbul, where a joint coordination center of Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials implements the Black Sea deal.
Sending cluster munitions to Ukraine a ‘difficult decision’, Biden says
Biden says sending cluster munitions to Ukraine was a “difficult decision” but Ukraine needed them because it was running out of ammunition in its war against Russia.
“It was a very difficult decision on my part. And by the way, I discussed this with our allies,” Biden told US media outlet CNN. “The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.”
Zelenskyy praises US, Biden for taking ‘decisive’ steps
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has thanked US President Joe Biden for a “much-needed” defence package after Washington said it would provide cluster munitions to Kyiv.
“A timely, broad and much-needed defense aid package from the United States,” Zelenskyy posted on Twitter, thanking the US people and Biden for their “decisive steps”.
“The expansion of Ukraine’s defense capabilities will provide new tools for the de-occupation of our land and bringing peace closer.”
A timely, broad and much-needed defense aid package from the United States. We are grateful to the American people and President Joseph Biden @POTUS for decisive steps that bring Ukraine closer to victory over the enemy, and democracy to victory over dictatorship. The expansion…
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 7, 2023
Muted response from allies so far about US cluster munitions decision
Reactions from allies about the US decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine have been muted so far.
NATO chief Stoltenberg stressed on Friday that the military alliance takes no position on cluster munitions and it is a decision that individual members will make.
Germany, which has signed a treaty to ban the weapons, said it won’t provide the bombs to Ukraine but expressed understanding for the American position.
“We’re certain that our US friends didn’t take the decision about supplying such ammunition lightly,” German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin.
“We need to remember once again that Russia has already used cluster ammunition at a large scale in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
US to select rounds with lower dud rates: Pentagon on cluster munitions to Ukraine
Brigadier General Pat Ryder says the US Department of Defense has “multiple variants” of the cluster munitions and “the ones that we are considering providing [to Ukraine] would not include older variants with [dud] rates that are higher than 2.35 percent.”
At a Pentagon briefing, he said the US “would be carefully selecting rounds with lower dud rates, for which we have recent testing data”.
A 2009 law bans exports of US cluster munitions with bomblet failure rates higher than 1 percent, which covers virtually all of the US military stockpile.
Biden can waive prohibitions around the munitions as then-US President Donald Trump did in January 2021 to allow the export of cluster munitions technology to South Korea.
Zelenskyy meets Erdogan in Istanbul ahead of NATO summit
Zelenskyy has met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul as part of a tour of some NATO members as he lobbies the military alliance to take concrete steps at it summit next week towards granting Kyiv membership.
A key element of Zelenskyy’s talks in Istanbul is to be the fate of a deal brokered last year by Turkey and the UN to allow the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports over the Black Sea despite the war raging across Ukraine.
The Kremlin made it clear it would be watching the talks closely, saying Putin has appreciated the mediation of Erdogan in attempting to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Use of cluster munitions in Ukraine ‘humanitarian disaster’: HRW
Human Rights Watch has slammed the US decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, saying they pose immense danger to civilians.
“They are absolutely awful for civilians. When legislators and policymakers here in the US see the photos coming back of children with missing limbs, parents injured [and] killed, by our own American cluster munitions, there is going to be a real awakening to the humanitarian disaster that this is,” Sarah Yager, Washington director of Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera.
These bombs make no distinction between civilians and military personnel with experts suggesting 5 to 40 percent of bomblets do not explode on impact and can then remain present on battlefields for decades.
“It has been a norm in the world that cluster munitions should not be used. The fact that Russia is using them is just another reason why they should not be used,” Yager said.
NGOs condemn US plans to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine
Humanitarian organisations has condemned plans by the United States to supply controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine, citing the long-lasting danger posed by the weapons which leave behind unexploded bomblets.
“This is a death sentence to civilians over the long term. There are people who have not yet been born who will fall victim” to cluster bombs, Baptiste Chapuis of Handicap International – Humanity and Inclusion (HI) said on Friday.
When they detonate, cluster bombs spread dozens of tiny bomblets over an area the size of several football pitches, with a large number burying themselves in the ground rather than exploding.
The weapons therefore effectively leave a large field of antipersonnel mines in their wake – prompting a wave of condemnations even before the American delivery was confirmed.
“The USA’s plan to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine is a retrograde step, which undermines the considerable advances made by the international community in its attempts to protect civilians from such dangers,” Amnesty International researcher Patrick Wilcken said in a statement, saying the aid group “urges the USA to reconsider”.
US has no clear answer on how to return reporter detained by Russia
US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser has said there was no clear answer on how to return Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter detained by Russia, to the United States.
“I do not want to give false hope,” said the Biden aide, Jake Sullivan, in a briefing with reporters on Friday.
Ukraine will not be joining NATO at current time: White House
Ukraine will not join NATO following next week’s summit, but its members will discuss what steps are necessary for Kyiv to qualify for the military alliance’s membership, the White House has said.
Ukraine’s pathway to NATO will be discussed at the summit, but Kyiv “still has further steps that it needs to take before membership” and “will not be joining” at the current time, said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
For US, cluster munitions for Ukraine ‘best of bad options’: AJ correspondent
The White House says Russia has been using cluster munitions against Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict and Ukraine’s use of artillery rounds is so frequent it is hard to keep up production.
“The White House is saying that there is a shortage of conventional weapons, and in absence of the ability to ramp up production here in the US in a timeline the US would like, they have to turn to an alternative, and that is these cluster munitions. It’s the best of the bad options,” said Kimberly Halkett, Al Jazeera’s White House correspondent.
“And in lieu of that, the US has worked with Ukraine getting the assurances it needs that these concerns [that] civilians will be adversely affected can be mitigated,” she said.
US defends case for providing cluster munitions to Ukraine
The Pentagon is expected to make an announcement about providing cluster munitions to Ukraine later in the day, but the White House has argued that this move would be a necessary evil given that Kyiv is in short supply of weapons to battle invading Russian troops.
“We will not leave Ukraine defenceless,” Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, said.
Rights groups have warned that using cluster bombs would harm civilians, but the White House said Kyiv has provided written assurances it would minimise that risk.
Sunak tells Erdogan he hopes Sweden’s NATO accession will proceed soon
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan he hoped NATO could proceed with ratifying Sweden’s accession to the alliance as soon as possible, pointing out the “significant benefits” of the country’s membership.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the two spoke on Friday on a range of matters, including Ukraine, their bilateral relationship and tackling illegal immigration.
“He underlined the significant benefits of Sweden joining NATO and the progress they have made in addressing Turkey’s legitimate security concerns and hoped the alliance could proceed with ratifying their accession as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said before a NATO summit next week.
US expected to announce $800m security package to Ukraine
The United States is expected to announce on Friday that it will send Ukraine widely banned cluster munitions as part of an $800m security package, a move Ukraine said would have an “extraordinary psycho-emotional impact” on occupying Russian forces.
Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. They typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area and those that fail to explode pose a danger for decades after a conflict ends.
Human rights groups oppose Washington’s decision, but the munitions could provide a boost to a Ukrainian counteroffensive to reclaim territory seized by Russian forces since they invaded in February 2022.
UN warns against using cluster munitions
The UN secretary general wants countries to stop using cluster munitions, UN spokesman Farhan Haq says.
Antonio Guterres “supports the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which, as you know, was adopted 15 years ago. And he wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention. And so as a result, of course, he does not want there to be continued use of cluster munitions on the battlefield,” Haq said.
The statement followed an announcement by a senior Ukrainian official saying Kyiv would welcome receiving cluster munitions from the United States because they would have an “extraordinary psycho-emotional impact” on Russian forces.
Three US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity this week said a weapons aid package that includes cluster munitions was expected to be announced as soon as Friday.
Such a move is opposed by human rights groups but could provide a powerful new element to Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Black Sea grain export deal indispensable for global food security: UN
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres describes the deals allowing safe shipments across the Black Sea of food and fertiliser from Ukrainian ports and facilitating Russia’s own such exports as playing an “indispensable role” in global food security.
The Black Sea grain deal is due to expire on July 17, and there are fears that Russia will not extend it.
“The secretary-general and his team remain fully committed to building on the progress already made and are in constant contact with a wide range of stakeholders in this regard,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.
“The secretary-general calls on all concerned to prioritise global food security,” Haq said.
NATO’s Vilnius summit to be guarded by Patriot missiles, fighter jets
With the war in Ukraine still casting a shadow over Europe, the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital on Tuesday and Wednesday will be guarded by Patriot missile batteries from Germany and fighter jets and forces from 17 nations.
US President Joe Biden, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be among the 31 NATO leaders attending the summit in the Baltic state.
Zelenskyy is also expected to attend to press for Ukraine to be admitted into NATO after the war with Russia comes to an end.
Kakhovka Dam breach has hallmarks of ‘scorched-earth strategy’: Experts
The Kakhovka Dam breach in Ukraine caused economic, agricultural and ecological devastation that will last for years, experts say.
While the long-term effects of the dam break are difficult to calculate, two experts – Susanne Wengle of the University of Notre Dame and Vitalii Dankevych of Polissia National University – believe that it will have a lasting effect on the climate of southern Ukraine.
On June 6, 2023, an explosion breached the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine, causing flooding of the city of Kherson and threatening the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
But the two experts believe that the dam explosion has all the hallmarks of a scorched-earth strategy, “intended to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy”.
Farmland that is no longer irrigated and cultivated because canals are destroyed and the reservoir drained will dry up, becoming more vulnerable to soil erosion and dust storms. Agricultural production could be reduced for years to come, with impacts that ripple through supply chains and affect food security around the world.
‘Ukraine and Slovakia are definitely stronger today’: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy thanked Slovakia for its support during a news conference in Bratislava with its president and said he and Caputova discussed defence cooperation.
Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter in Ukrainian: “Today we are in Slovakia – we work for the interests of our peoples, and we really thank all the people of Slovakia for their support. Now, of course, the first priority is security, the protection of our common values, which make Europe Europe.
“With President Zuzana Caputova, we discussed our defence and foreign policy cooperation in quite a lot of detail: very specific projects, very specific things that really help here and now. Ukraine and Slovakia are definitely stronger today.”
Сьогодні ми у Словаччині – працюємо заради інтересів наших народів і дійсно дякуємо за підтримку всім людям Словаччини.
Зараз, звичайно, перший пріоритет – це безпека, захист наших спільних цінностей, які і роблять Європу Європою.Із Президентом @ZuzanaCaputova ми доволі… pic.twitter.com/RiDecHyoWY
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 7, 2023
Russia labels HRHF group ‘undesirable’
Russia is banning the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF), an Oslo-based non-profit group, accusing it of creating social discord.
HRHF is a coalition of 80 independent human rights organisations advocating for freedom of assembly and expression in the western Balkans, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine.
The Russian prosecutor general’s office said it was declaring HRHF’s activity “undesirable”, amounting to a ban, because the group aimed to “destabilise” the domestic political situation in Russia, discredit its foreign policy, and “shape public opinion about the need to change power in an unconstitutional way.”
It also accused the organisation of “discrediting” the Russian armed forces.
Russia must not endanger nuclear plant: UK
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Russia must not further endanger the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
“The IAEA must have full access to inspect the plant and ensure nuclear safety and security,” he said on Twitter.
Russia must not endanger the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant further.
The IAEA must have full access to inspect the plant and ensure nuclear safety and security.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) July 7, 2023
IAEA chief says he is pushing for access to power plant roofs
The head of the UN nuclear agency says he is pushing for access to the roof of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine following accusations that Russia had planted explosives there.
Finishing a four-day visit to Japan, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said his agency was making progress on access to the plant, but there had been “some limitations.”
“It’s like a conversation and I’m pushing to get as much access as possible,” Grossi said, in an interview with The Associated Press in Tokyo, adding that there was “marginal improvement.”
Grossi also told the AP that experts had gained access to the cooling pond and fuel storage areas, where they confirmed that there were no mines, which Ukraine had previously claimed otherwise.
Still ‘gaps’ before Turkey approves Sweden’s membership: NATO chief
Stoltenberg says there are still “gaps” to bridge for Turkey to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
During a press conference ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Vilnius, the alliance’s secretary general said he would meet Swedish and Turkish leaders on Monday, the day before the meeting.
Next week’s summit should give Ukraine a clear path: Slovakia
NATO’s summit next week should give Ukraine a clear view of future membership in the alliance, Slovak President Zuzana Caputova said after hosting Zelenskyy in Bratislava.
Caputova told a news conference alongside Zelenskyy that Ukraine’s membership was a question of “when”, not “if”.