• Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the director of operations for the Joint Staff, on Thursday acknowledged that US-made cluster bombs intended for Kyiv have already "been delivered to Ukraine." UKRINFORM
• Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, commander of the Tavria Joint Forces Operation, also confirmed that Kyiv forces had "just" received them, but said the cluster bombs hadn't yet been used. Tarnavsky further commented that the munitions could "radically change" the situation on the battlefield. RT International (a)
• Washington claims that Ukraine would not use the cluster bombs — which are banned in over 100 countries — anywhere near the civilian population. Additionally, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has argued that Kyiv would minimize the long-term threat to civilians when using the cluster bombs by prioritizing de-mining efforts. CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that, by continuing to provide dangerous weapons to Ukraine, "the US and its NATO satellites create the risk of a direct armed confrontation with Russia." He added that such behavior "may lead to catastrophic consequences." Euronews
• The warning comes after White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on the sidelines of the NATO summit on Wednesday that F-16s will be transferred to Ukraine, "likely from European countries that have excess F-16 supplies." RT International (b)
• Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin also warned that the supply of sophisticated American or European munitions to Kyiv would not change the war's outcome, adding that foreign-made tanks are a "priority target" for Russian forces in Ukraine. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)

Pro-establishment narrative:

• The transfer of cluster bombs to Ukraine will immediately improve Kyiv's firepower and help it punch through Russian defensive lines. The prospects of Ukraine's counteroffensive now look far more successful and Moscow is more likely to be pushed to the negotiation table. Kyiv is committed to using American weapons to destroy the Russian invaders and save Ukrainian lives.
  CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Establishment-critical narrative:

• Ukraine is in an existential fight for survival and deserves access to weaponry. However, sending cluster bombs to Kyiv when what Ukraine really needs is long-range precision missiles is senseless. Moreover, while cluster bombs could bring Kyiv a temporary battlefield advantage, they will inflict devastating damage to civilians — particularly if fired at densely populated areas — and remain a serious threat for years following the conflict.
  New York Times (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Pro-Russia narrative:

• Sending cluster munitions to Ukraine is an act of desperation that shows the failure of the Ukrainian military's attempts to carry out an offensive against Russia. In addition, by sending more sophisticated weapons to Ukraine, the US is escalating tensions with Moscow, despite the latter holding a superior arsenal that is more than able to quash Ukraine's military capability.
  RT International

Nerd narrative:

• There's a 2% chance that a radiological "dirty bomb" will be detonated in Ukraine or Russia before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  Metaculus (LR: 3 CP: 3)