Last week, the United States unveiled a new military assistance package for Ukraine that includes cluster munitions.
"Until now, we have not done this, we have not used it, and we did not have such a need, despite the known shortage of ammunition by us as well in a certain period of time, but we did not do this. But, of course, if they are used against us, we reserve the right to mirror actions," Putin said in an interview with a Russian broadcaster.
Putin added that Russia has a sufficient stock of various types of cluster munitions.
"They [the US] do this not from a good life, but because they have a shortage of ammunition in general," Putin said.
The Russian president also said that the use of cluster munitions should be treated as a crime.
"As for cluster munitions, the US administration itself gave an assessment of these munitions with the words of its employees some time ago. When the use of cluster munitions was called a crime by the US administration itself. This is how I think it should be treated," he said.