Ukraine has received U.S. cluster munitions, a senior Pentagon official said on Thursday.
The U.S. announced on July 7 it would send Kyiv cluster munitions as part of an $800-million security package intended to ensure Russian forces that invaded Ukraine nearly 17 months ago cannot halt a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Cluster munitions pose a risk to civilians even after a war ends, since they release smaller explosives over wide areas, which can stay unexploded and undetected on the ground for years. Over 120 countries have banned these weapons. Many current and former leaders, including former President Donald Trump, have raised concern about raising risks by adding these to the already-volatile conflict in Ukraine.
Some critics have also voiced concern about blank-check support for Ukraine without clearer objectives for victory.
"I think it probably runs a risk of escalation," Florida Gov. and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said this week, echoing some of these worries. "Basically, what I said from the beginning is no weapons that could lead to attacks inside Russia or escalating the conflict. We cannot become involved in this directly."
Newsmax contributed to this report.