Former national security adviser John Bolton hailed the Biden administration’s controversial decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as “an excellent idea” in a radio interview Friday.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” Bolton told John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s Cats & Cosby show. “We should have done it before the Ukrainians were asking for it.”
The former Trump administration official joined other Republicans in saying the decision is the right one, but took too long. Ukrainians first asked for cluster munitions last year.
“The American military has used cluster bombs to great effect in protecting our troops and impeding the enemy,” Bolton argued. “The Ukrainians know that. That’s why they asked for them.”
“Right now, the question is not what happens after the war, the question is who wins the war?” he added. “Cluster munitions will aid the Ukrainians.”
The munitions are banned by over 120 countries by international treaty because bomblets that don’t initially explode can cause civilian casualties. That has created pushback to the administration’s move among human rights groups.
Russian cluster munitions, which it has used amid its invasion of Ukraine, are believed to have a “dud rate” of nearly 40 percent. The higher the dud rate, the more likely it is to not detonate — opening up more opportunities for civilian casualties.
The U.S. has pledged to send munitions with a dud rate less than 3 percent.
The munitions are part of a new $800 million military aid package for Ukraine, announced on Friday. President Biden called sending the cluster bombs a “difficult decision.”