WSJ: US to provide depleted-uranium tank shells for Ukraine
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The U.S. is set to provide depleted-uranium tank shells after weeks of discussion, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote on June 13, citing U.S. officials.
The Pentagon has reportedly long urged sending the depleted-uranium ammunition to Ukraine along with the scheduled 31 M1 Abrams tanks.
In the past, several White House officials raised concerns that the U.S. may become open to criticism for sending shells that may carry environmental and health risks, the WSJ wrote.
According to the Journal, there is an ongoing discussion on whether depleted uranium causes negative long-term effects on human health, but nothing has been conclusively proven so far.
Depleted uranium is a by-product of uranium enrichment. It is roughly two and a half times denser than steel, which makes it particularly effective for piercing heavy armor on the battlefield.
The U.K. has reportedly already sent tens of thousands of depleted-uranium shells to Ukraine along with its Challenger 2 tanks.
Russia's embassy in London responded by claiming that the U.K. "will not be able to evade responsibility for the consequences of the use of depleted uranium shells transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Russian state-controlled news outlet TASS reported on Telegram.
The U.K. Defense Ministry responded that depleted uranium is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities.
