U.S. to give Ukraine depleted uranium rounds - media

The U.S. administration will send Ukraine armor-piercing munitions containing depleted uranium.

This was reported by Reuters with reference to relevant documents and other sources, Ukrinform saw.

It is noted that such rounds, intended for the destruction of Russian armored vehicles, will be part of a new package of military aid to Ukraine, which should be presented next week. Ammunition can be used by Abrams tanks, which will be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

The upcoming aid package will be valued at between $240 million and $375 million, depending on the types of weapons and ammunition it contains. Its cost and content are still being determined.

The UK was the first country to send Ukraine depleted uranium rounds.

Memo. Depleted uranium, due to its extreme density, enables projectiles to easily penetrate armored coating and self-ignite in a red-hot mixture of dust and metal.

The United States used depleted uranium munitions in large quantities during the 1990 and 2003 Gulf Wars and the 1999 NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia.

The IAEA states that studies run in the former Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Lebanon have shown that the presence of depleted uranium residues dispersed in the environment poses no radiological hazard to the population of the affected regions.