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Pentagon reveals when Ukraine will receive depleted uranium shells
The delivery, which was announced earlier this week, was branded a “criminal act” by Moscow
A shipment of controversial US-made uranium shells is expected to arrive in Ukraine this autumn to coincide with the first delivery of M1 Abrams tanks, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
Speaking at a regular briefing, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was asked how soon Kiev could hope to receive a batch of depleted uranium shells, included in an assistance package announced by Washington on Wednesday, worth up to $175 million.
The spokeswoman declined to give an exact date, but said the arrival would be announced by Kiev, and that Washington wants the rounds to be in Ukraine by the time Abrams tanks are delivered. She noted that the US had “said pretty publicly that we expect the tanks to be arriving in Ukraine sometime in the fall.”
When pressed on whether the Pentagon believes depleted uranium munitions pose a public health risk, the official rejected such claims. She said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded “there is no evidence that the depleted uranium rounds cause cancer,” and that the World Health Organization (WHO) has found “no increase of leukemia or other cancers and… that have been established following any exposure to uranium or DU.”
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UN opposes US sending uranium rounds to Ukraine
Singh also described the rounds – which have high armor-piercing capabilities – as “standard issued”, noting that the US believes they are “the most effective rounds to counter Russian tanks.”
However, she made no mention of a 2022 UN Environment Program report which warned that “depleted uranium and toxic substances in common explosives can cause skin irritation, kidney failure and increase the risks of cancer.” Another study released in the journal of Environmental Pollution in 2019 suggested a link between depleted uranium, used by the US during the Iraq War, and the risk of birth defects in local children.
The US was the second country to announce the delivery of DU shells after the UK, which gave the green light to such supplies in March, sparking outrage in Moscow. Commenting on Washington’s announcement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov condemned the delivery as an escalatory “criminal act,” suggesting that the US does not care about the health of current or future Ukrainian generations.
Pentagon announces another military aid package for Ukraine
Kiev will get HIMARS missiles, electronic warfare equipment, and mine-clearing hardware, Washington says
The US is set to provide another $600 million worth of military aid to Ukraine for use in its conflict with Russia, the Department of Defense has said.
According to a statement issued by the Pentagon on Thursday, the new package will include equipment for air-defense systems, additional ammunition for HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, 105mm artillery rounds, electronic warfare tools, demolition munitions for obstacle clearing, and mine-clearing hardware.
The aid is being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows the Biden administration to procure weapons from the defense industry instead of taking them from existing US military stocks.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Kiev on Wednesday, promised Ukraine $1 billion in assistance from Washington, including $665.5 million for military supplies.
“We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs not only to succeed on the counteroffensive, but [also] in the long term,” Blinken told journalists in Kiev.
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Blinken brings another $1 billion to Kiev – Reuters
On the same day, the Pentagon announced that Kiev would be getting another $175 million worth of American equipment, including depleted uranium shells for Abrams M-1 tanks. According to Politico, ten of the 31 US-made main battle tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine in a matter of weeks.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said this was a “criminal move” by the US. “It’s not just an escalatory step, but a reflection of Washington’s outrageous disregard for the environmental consequences” of using depleted uranium shells on the battlefield.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov called the development “very bad news” and referred to an increase in cancer cases on the territory of former Yugoslavia where depleted uranium munitions had been used during the NATO bombing campaign of 1999. Peskov also said the continuation of American military aid for Kiev was a sign of the Biden administration’s intention to keep “waging a war to the last Ukrainian.”
On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that, during the three months of its counteroffensive, Ukraine had lost some 66,000 troops and 7,600 pieces of heavy weaponry but failed to achieve any significant gains. Kiev has so far claimed the capture of several small villages, but they are located some distance from the main Russian defense lines.
READ MORE: US forcing ‘fight to last Ukrainian’ – Kremlin
Russia has repeatedly warned that deliveries of weapons to Ukraine by the US and its allies will only prolong the fighting, but won’t prevent Moscow from achieving the goals of its military operation. Russian officials also argue that the provision of arms, intelligence-sharing and the training of Kiev’s troops already means that Western nations have de facto become parties to the conflict.
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