Daniel Craig: My mission to end ‘barbaric’ cluster bombs killing Ukrainians

Daniel Craig has called for an end of the use of cluster bombs worldwide, as Ukrainian civilians face relentless attacks from Russia.

The former James Bond actor will address a United Nations conference in Geneva, chaired by the United Kingdom during its presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Cluster bombs work by breaking open when released from aircraft, spraying a load of bomblets across a wide area – causing deadly injuries as far as 25 metres away.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions urges an end to the production, sale and stockpiling of the bombs. The UK became a member in May 2008, when it withdrew its own arsenal of cluster munitions.

Some 110 states have ratified the treaty, although countries including China, Russia, India, Pakistan and the US have yet to sign up.

Russia has used cluster munitions repeatedly in Ukraine, which - according to Human Rights Watch - is the only country in the world where the weapons are being used as of this month.

In a video message, Mr Craig - who in 2015 was appointed a UN advocate against landmines - will say: “Civilians all too often pay the price when these brutal weapons are used.

“In my work with the United Nations Mine Action Service, I have seen how long after conflicts, damage caused by cluster munitions persists. Unbelievably, we are still seeing use of cluster munitions today, most recently in Ukraine.

“Countries that still use and produce cluster munitions need to stop doing so. They are barbaric weapons used mainly on civilian populations to spread fear and anxiety.”

Also speaking is Graham Stuart, a Foreign Office minister, who will note progress made by the UK in driving forward “work to eliminate them altogether”.

He will say: “We will continue to speak out against these murderous weapons – as we did in March, when we condemned their use in the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine.”