President Joe Biden says aiding Ukrainians with cluster munitions 'was not an easy decision': CNN

In an exclusive interview with CNN Friday, President Joe Biden said assisting Ukraine with cluster munitions was a "difficult decision."

Per CNN, "the cluster munitions that the US will send to Ukraine will be compatible with US-provided 155mm howitzers, a key piece of artillery that has allowed Ukraine to win back territory over the last year."

The president told CNN host Fareed Zaharia despite the difficulty of the move, "he was ultimately convinced to send the controversial weapons because Kyiv needs ammunition in its counteroffensive against Russia."

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Biden emphasized, "This is a war relating to munitions. And they're running out of that ammunition, and we're low on it. And so, what I finally did, I took the recommendation of the Defense Department to – not permanently – but to allow for this transition period, while we get more 155 weapons, these shells, for the Ukrainians."

He continued, "They're trying to get through those trenches and stop those tanks from rolling. But it was not an easy decision. We're not signatories to that agreement, but it took me a while to be convinced to do it. But the main thing is they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now – keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas – or they don't. And I think they needed them. It was a very difficult decision on my part. And by the way, I discussed this with our allies, I discussed this with our friends up on the Hill. The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition."

According to the report, the interview is set to air on "Fareed Zakaria GPS" Sunday, July 9.

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CNN's full report is available at this link.