Washington set to give Kiev depleted-uranium rounds – WSJ
The US is poised to greenlight shipments of depleted-uranium shells to Ukraine despite concerns that such munitions could have a dramatic negative effect on the environment and public health, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
According to one senior US official who spoke to the outlet, “there appear to be no major obstacles to approving the ammunition,” with internal deliberations over the matter said to have been ongoing for several weeks.
The Pentagon sees the controversial shells as being suitable for the M1 Abrams tanks promised by Washington to Ukraine earlier this year, but expected to arrive only this fall, the report says. It added that this type of ammo has very high-armor piercing capabilities and could give Kiev a boost in tank battles with Russia.
However, some officials in US President Joe Biden’s administration have reportedly pointed out that the use of such ammunition could pose serious environmental and health risks.