The US will provide Ukraine with the armor-piercing munitions shot from Abrams tanks, US media reported, citing a document and two American officials. The United Kingdom has provided Ukraine with depleted uranium munitions, although the package will mark the first US commitment of the arms.
The US is providing the munitions despite controversy over the use of depleted uranium, which critics argue may impact the health of civilians and create an environmental disaster that will affect the region for years.
Among the many world leaders urging the US against its shipment, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier told Sputnik that the US simply doesn't consider the munitions use an issue "because they believe that, since they are on another continent, the supply of radioactive substances ... will not affect them."
The pending military aid package will reportedly utilize the presidential drawdown authority, allowing the US to pull the munitions directly from its own stockpiles.