Sir, – The US decision endorsed by president Joe Biden to send cluster bomb munitions to president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is indefensible. It will further escalate the conflict, and will cause more maiming of civilians both now and in the future when they return to their devastated homeland, as it is estimated that only 40 per cent of the smaller bomblets explode upon impact, leaving the rest embedded in the soil.
Already both the Russian invading army and the Ukrainian army are using these munitions outlawed by the Oslo Convention. However, Russia, the US and Ukraine have refused to endorse this convention and continue to stockpile these deadly weapons with the obvious intention of using them.
Already the UK and many EU/Nato countries have disassociated themselves from this Biden decision.
While war is hell, every effort must be made to humanise it. There is still time for the Biden administration to realise that its decision to send these deadly indiscriminating weaponry to Ukraine is both immoral and indefensible and should be reversed. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – War is complex, we honour those who serve and rightfully, and we all hope for no more wars, but they continue to occur.
It is obvious that there will be loss of life, always far too many, and they should not be those of innocent bystanders.
The latest move by the US to provide cluster bombs to the Ukrainian forces is simply wrong, not just because they are banned by more than 100 countries, not just because the Russian forces are using them but because of the impact they have on the public as it’s not just one bomb to avoid but up to hundreds of bombs, and although smaller, they are still deadly.
President Joe Biden has called it a “very difficult decision” but it is actually the wrong decision. I am not sure what he should do but there must be other options to find some peaceful end to this conflict which will then be followed by years of despair as the Ukrainian cities are rebuilt.
Pray for peace because you can’t bomb a country into peace, just destruction. – Yours, etc,
DENNIS FITZGERALD,
Melbourne,
Australia.