Turkey seeks US approval to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine

Turkey is seeking US approval to transfer a large quantity of US-made cluster munitions, missiles and launchers from its stockpiles to Ukraine, a move that would mark a significant shift in Ankara's long-standing balancing act between Moscow and Kiev, writes the Brussels-based EUalajv portal.

Human Rights Watch called on Congress to block the proposed agreement, citing the risk to civilians, while Russia demanded an explanation, warning that the agreement was damaging Moscow's relations with Washington and Ankara.

The State Department notified Congress on August 3 that it was prepared to approve the retransfer.

The package includes 12 M270 multiple rocket system launchers, 70 M39 ATACMS ballistic missiles, 2.524 M26 rockets and 47.000 M509A1 203 mm artillery shells, and is worth more than $280 million.

Turkey needs Washington's consent to transfer the ammunition, as it was manufactured in the US.

Official announcements state that Ankara wants to reduce its stockpiles of older equipment to make room for modernization, while Ukraine is seeking the weapons to strengthen its military.

The Congressional review period lasts 30 days, and final approval has not yet been publicly confirmed.

Human Rights Watch pointed out that much of this ammunition is decades old – some produced under a 1987 US-Turkey joint production agreement – ​​and that older cluster munitions pose a high risk of residual unexploded ordnance that can endanger civilians long after the fighting ends.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said a few days ago that Moscow had officially requested explanations from Washington and Ankara.

Zakharova said it was a "significant arsenal" of offensive systems and said the delivery would cause "serious damage to Moscow's bilateral relations with Washington and Ankara."

Turkey has been supplying Ukraine with Bayraktar drones for years in the early stages of the conflict, facilitating an agreement on grain exports across the Black Sea and providing space for negotiations, while at the same time maintaining significant economic and energy ties with Russia and presenting itself as a neutral mediator.

Turkey has been playing a dual role for years, having supplied Ukraine with Bayraktar drones at the beginning of the Russian aggression, while at the same time maintaining economic and energy ties with Russia, writes EUalajv.

The current proposal – the transfer of large quantities of US-made long-range missiles and wide-area cluster munitions – would represent a more pronounced step away from that carefully maintained neutrality.