Biden, who is in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit that starts this Tuesday, is being openly criticized by some prominent members of the Democrat Party.
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, has “real concerns” with such ammunition for Kiev, as he told Fox News.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren warned in statements to CNN that she was “deeply concerned about the use of a weapon that has such terrible long-term consequences for civilians.”
Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also expressed “concern” about the president’s action.
Delaware Senator Chris Coons, a close ally of Joe Biden, supported his position in comments to CBS News on Sunday.
California Representative Barbara Lee, a candidate for a seat in the Upper Chamber and the only member of Congress who voted against the war in Afghanistan, rejected Biden’s provision on such explosives, The Hill reported.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, stated that the Biden administration’s intentions on such a shipment would be “another step toward escalation” of the conflict.
More than 100 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, have banned the munitions under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, but the United States and Ukraine are not signatories.
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