12/08/2026
On 3 August, the US State Department notified Congress of proposed large scale transfers of US-origin cluster munitions from Türkiye to Ukraine, routed through Turkish, Bulgarian and US private entities.
The Cluster Munition Coalition condemns the plan of this transfer in the strongest terms and calls on all parties not to let it go forward.
While neither Türkiye or the US are part of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions, the Cluster Munition Coalition condemns any use or transfer by any actor because of their indiscriminate nature and the human suffering caused by their use.
Bulgaria, whose company VTIC International Ltd., is named in this notification, is a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The notice does not specify the company’s role, nor whether the weapons would transit Bulgarian soil. Under the Convention, Bulgaria may not assist in any transfer, a prohibition that applies to any company under its jurisdiction.
These are Cold War-era munitions the US itself replaced and were planning to dismantle, now headed to a conflict between two countries whose populations have already suffered greatly from the use of cluster munitions and other banned weapons.
To the : DO NOT authorize this transfer.
To : Cancel the planned transfer and destroy the weapons instead. Offloading obsolete and indiscriminate weapons onto one of the world’s most heavily contaminated country is unacceptable, and is incompatible with a goal of supporting Ukraine in defending itself.
To : As a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, take firm steps to ensure no Bulgarian company or entity assists with the transfer and that there is no transit of the weapons across Bulgarian territory. Uphold Bulgaria’s duty to discourage States not Party to the Convention from any use or transfers.
This transfer has not happened yet, and we count on all parties to make sure it never does. Stop the Harm. Stand Up for the Ban.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/08/11/turkiye-seeks-to-transfer-us-cluster-munitions-to-ukraine
