National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday dismissed the notion that the United States has lost its moral authority by providing Ukraine with cluster munitions.

“Our moral authority has not derived from being a signatory to the Convention Against Cluster Munitions. We are not, we have not been, at any point since that convention came into effect. Neither has Ukraine,” Sullivan said in an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press,” referring to a treaty agreed to by more than 100 countries that prohibits the use of, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. 

“Our moral authority and Ukraine’s moral authority in this conflict comes from the fact that we are supporting a country under brutal, vicious attack by its neighbor, with missiles and bombs raining down on its cities, killing its civilians, destroying its schools, its churches, its hospitals,” Sullivan continued. “And the idea that providing Ukraine with a weapon in order for them to be able to defend their homeland, protect their civilians, is somehow a challenge to our moral authority, I find questionable.”

The move to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions has brought increased criticism of President Biden and his administration from some within his own party. Biden has described the decision as “difficult” but said he viewed it as necessary to win the war. 

The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that U.S. cluster bombs had been delivered to Ukraine. 

Cluster bombs are highly controversial because they can pose a risk to civilians. They are bombs that release sores of smaller bomblets in the air, making them effective at targeting a large area of enemy troops. They also can pose a risk to civilians, however, especially if the smaller bomblets do not explode right away. Ukraine has pledged only to use the bombs away from civilians. 

“I would say that we are stepping up to give Ukraine what it needs in order to not be defenseless in the face of a Russian onslaught,” Sullivan said. “We are simply not going to leave Ukraine defenseless. The President was determined on that point. And we remain committed to that.” 

In the interview, Sullivan also said the United States’s “current plan” is not to restock its stockpile of cluster munitions. Instead, Sullivan said, it would focus on restocking its unitary munitions.