ELECTIONS, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT
US sends cluster bombs to Ukraine as Russia troops build near Donbas
Jul 7, 2023, 9:30 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — As Russia continues on with its war efforts in Ukraine, the White House announced Friday that it will be sending cluster bombs to the region to aid Ukraine in its military efforts.
Additionally, Russia is amassing roughly 180,000 soldiers in the Donbas region.
Mark Toth, an opinion contributor for The Hill discusses the situation with KSL NewsRadio.
“I think what we are seeing right now is a lot of head faking going on right now,” Toth said.
Toth says there has been a lot of activity in recent days over Russia’s control of a nuclear power plant that it controls down south.
“Will they blow it? Will they not blow it? Toth said.
He says that may have been an attempt to get Ukraine to launch a counter offensive in that region. Toth says we may be seeing the same thing going on in Donbas.
But then again, it could be more than just a head fake.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to keep Ukraine away from Crimea at all costs,” Toth said. “That’s a game-changer for him. Potentially, a regime-costing loss, if he loses it.”
Toth also speculates that Putin would prefer to fight on that terrain because it would shorten his supply lines.
“And that was a critical failure early on last year,” he said. “When his supply lines got stretched, he couldn’t keep up.”
A need for cluster bombs?
Earlier Friday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan explained why the United States was sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.
“We base our security assistance decision on Ukraine’s needs on the ground,” he said. “And Ukraine needs artillery to sustain its offensive and defensive operations.”
Toth says he suspects there is some gamesmanship going on here as well.
“Clearly, Ukraine is running low on artillery shells,” he said. “They’re firing a lot a day and it’s clear that our own supply chain has to be ramped up in order to provide them what their needs are.”
Ultimately, Toth says it’s the cluster bomb that could be the difference in the outcome of any counter offensive by Ukraine.
Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app.
