On Tuesday, the US Senate passed a $95 billion bill containing approximately $61 billion in Ukraine-related funding, including via a loan. US President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on Wednesday. The US Department of Defense later unveiled a $1 billion military aid package for Kiev, including cluster munitions and air defense supplies.
"The US Cluster Munition Coalition (USCMC) is appalled by President Biden’s decision to again transfer internationally prohibited cluster munitions to Ukraine … The US Cluster Munition Coalition condemns this transfer decision due to the devastating and long-term humanitarian consequences of cluster munitions," the coalition said in a statement released on Thursday.
The coalition added that it was "dismayed by the need to condemn such an action for the fifth time." It also urged Biden to immediately stop the transfer of such weapons.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the US and NATO are directly involved in the Ukraine conflict by supplying weapons and training soldiers in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries.