The USA plans to transfer shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine
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The United States plans to transfer shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine for Abrams tanks. A high-ranking official of the US administration told The Wall Street Journal that there are “serious obstacles” to the approval of this decision.
According to the source, the discussion about equipping the Abrams tanks lasted for several weeks. The Pentagon advocated the supply of depleted uranium shells to Ukraine, which are regularly used by the US Army and are effective against Russian tanks. It is noted that these shells are capable of penetrating the frontal armor of a Russian tank at a distance.
The proposal was discussed in the White House: some officials expressed concern that sending shells could expose Washington to criticism for providing weapons that could pose a health and environmental hazard.
Senior officials of the Biden administration said that the goal of the United States is to allow Ukraine to make as much progress as possible on the battlefield, which will put Kiev in a strong position in the negotiations if, in the end, peace talks are held. But within the administration there were disagreements about how best to support the Ukrainian army, including whether to supply cluster munitions.
The decision to transfer 31 Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces was made by Washington in January of this year. Shells with depleted uranium have better armor penetration than ordinary ones. Depleted uranium is waste from the uranium enrichment process. It can also be used in the production of nuclear weapons.
Earlier, Ukraine already received shells of this type from Great Britain – to equip British tanks “Challenger-2”. Russia then called this step a “serious escalation of the conflict.” “This is a widespread type of ammunition that has been used for decades because of its armor-piercing properties,” John Kirby, a representative of the US National Security Council, said in response, stressing that these shells are not considered radioactive and do not belong to nuclear weapons.
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