Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) dodged questions on Friday over whether he would send cluster bombs to Ukraine after the U.S. confirmed this month that it had supplied Ukraine with the controversial munitions.
Former News host Tucker Carlson asked Scott during the conservative Christian The Family Leadership Summit where he stood on the issue of sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.
“Well, if I was president of the United States we wouldn’t have to,” Scott said before being pressed again on his thoughts on the country’s decision to send them to Ukraine.
“Well I think – they’re there,” Scott said. He later elaborated after being pressed again, saying, “under my administration, we would have the resources and a defense industrial complex that provides the weapons that we need and our Western allies need, we wouldn’t be in this position at all.”
“I wouldn’t have to – [Biden] already has agreed to do so,” the South Carolina added after being pushed on the issue one last time.
The U.S. made the controversial decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine amid slow progress by Ukraine in the ongoing invasion waged by Russia. President Biden defended his decision to send the cluster munitions in an interview earlier this month.
“This is a war relating to munitions. And they’re running out of that ammunition, and we’re low on it,” Biden told. “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.”
The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that cluster munitions had arrived in Ukraine. The move has been controversial because cluster bombs, which are banned in more than 100 countries, don’t always immediately detonate on impact and can land imprecisely over a wide area, which can create a long-lasting risk for civilians.
The issue has wedged a divide among several Republican presidential contenders. Former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have both opposed sending the munitions to Ukraine but former Vice President Pence had defended the country’s move to do so.