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Military operation in Ukraine

Russian senate speaker says sending cluster munitions to Ukraine would be war crime

According to Valentina Matviyenko, the Federation Council has called on other countries’ parliaments to make sure that "everyone condemns such a criminal decision" and measures are taken to prevent delivery of this kind of munitions

BEIJING, July 11. /TASS/. Sending cluster munitions to Ukraine would constitute a war crime, Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, who is on a visit to China, said on Tuesday.

"The Collective West and NATO aren’t at all interested in resolving the conflict peacefully. On the contrary, they are interested in prolonging and escalating the conflict. Increasing weapons supplies to Ukraine are yet another proof of that. And now, a never-before-seen and criminal decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions has been made. If it happens, I believe that it would be a war crime. It runs counter to all international documents," Matviyenko noted.

She emphasized that a number of countries, including some NATO members, had condemned the decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. "Everyone understands that these weapons can cause great damage and pose catastrophic risks to civilians," the Federation Council speaker explained.

According to her, the Federation Council has called on other countries’ parliaments to make sure that "everyone condemns such a criminal decision" and measures are taken to prevent delivery of this kind of munitions.

A Russian parliamentary delegation is currently on a visit to China at the invitation of Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress. While in China, Matviyenko has also held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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