Several US allies have expressed opposition to Washington’s decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs.

On Friday, the US confirmed sending the controversial weapons to Ukraine, with President Joe Biden calling it a “very difficult decision”.

In response, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Spain opposed the use of these weapons.

Cluster bombs have been banned by more than 100 countries because of the danger they pose to civilians.

They usually release several smaller bombs that can kill indiscriminately over a large area.

The ammunition has also caused controversy regarding its failure. Unexploded bombs can lie on the ground for years and then detonate.

Biden told CNN in an interview Friday that he had spoken with allies about the decision, which was part of an $800 million military aid package. The American president said that it took him “a long time to be convinced to do it”, but he made the decision because “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition”.

The decision was criticized by human rights groups, with Amnesty International saying that cluster munitions pose a “serious threat to civilian lives, even long after the conflict has ended”.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that US cluster bombs sent to Ukraine have a lower failure rate than those already used by Russia in the war.

However, some Western allies of the US do not approve of the specific decision of President Biden.

When asked about his position on the US decision, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pointed out that the UK was one of 123 countries that had signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production or use of weapons and discourages their use.

“Harm to innocent people”

The prime minister of New Zealand – one of the countries that pushed for the creation of the Convention – went further than Mr Sunak, according to comments published by local media.

Chris Hipkins said guns “kill indiscriminately, they cause enormous harm to innocent people, potentially, and they can also have long-lasting consequences”. The White House had been briefed on New Zealand’s opposition to the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine, he said.

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told reporters that her country was sticking to its “firm commitment” that certain weapons and bombs could not be sent to Ukraine.

“No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defense of Ukraine, which we understand should not be attempted with cluster bombs,” he said.

The Canadian government has said it is particularly concerned about the potential effects of the bombs, which can sometimes be detonated many years later, on children. Canada has also stated that it is against the use of cluster bombs and remains in full compliance with the Convention on Cluster Munitions. “We take seriously our obligation under the convention to encourage its universal adoption,” the government said in a statement.

The US, Ukraine and Russia are not signatories to the convention, while both Moscow and Kiev have used cluster bombs during the war.

Meanwhile, Germany, a signatory to the treaty, said that while it would not provide such weapons to Ukraine, it understood the American position.

“We are confident that our friends from the US did not take the decision to procure such ammunition lightly,” German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin.

Ukraine’s defense minister gave assurances that cluster bombs would only be used to breach enemy defense lines and not in urban areas.