US to send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine – Reuters
New shipments of the controversial weapon may be announced as early as next week | The US is set to become the second country after the UK to greenlight shipments of depleted-uranium shells to Ukraine, according to Reuters, despite concerns that they could have a dramatic negative effect on public health and the environment. ● The munitions are intended for US Abrams tanks, the first of which are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks, the agency reported. According to several unnamed US officials and a document cited by Reuters on Saturday, the depleted uranium shells will be part of the next multi-million-dollar arms donation expected to be announced next week. ● The reported plan follows another highly controversial US move to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine, which was criticized even by some of Washington's closest allies. Should the White House approve depleted uranium shells for Ukraine, it would follow an earlier move by the UK, which announced similar shipments in March. The UK’s decision caused outrage in Moscow, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying the delivery would take “this escalation to a new and very serious stage.” Russia’s embassy in London accused the US and its allies of being willing to turn Ukraine into “not only an anti-Russian military shooting range, but also a radioactive landfill.”
■ US to send depleted-uranium munitions to Ukraine (Reuters)