BEIJING, July 10. /TASS/. The United States’ move to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, which have been banned by many counties, may trigger serious humanitarian problems in the conflict zone, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on Monday.
"China has noted that the United States’ decision has given rise to concern across the entire international community as many countries have clearly voiced their opposition to this move. The irresponsible provision of cluster munitions can easily trigger humanitarian problems," Mao said in response to a TASS request for comment on Washington’s decision to provide such weapons to Ukraine.
According to the Chinese diplomat, Beijing believes that dialogue and talks are the only way to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. "The parties concerned should refrain from adding fuel to the fire in order to prevent tensions from rising and the Ukrainian crisis from escalating," Mao stressed.
On July 7, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the United States had decided to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite the fact that the United Nations opposes the use of such weapons. He also stated that Kiev had provided Washington with written assurances that the controversial weapons would be used in such a way as to minimize risks to civilians. Pentagon Spokesman Patrick Ryder said on Thursday that the United States intended to provide Ukraine with a type of cluster munitions that allegedly pose the least risk to civilians. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said earlier that Guterres supported the Convention on Cluster Munitions and was against the use of such weapons on the battlefield.