Russia-Ukraine war live: US to supply Kyiv with controversial depleted uranium shells; blast reported near Russian HQ in Rostov

US to supply depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine

The US will give Ukraine depleted uranium anti-tank shells as part of a new military aid package worth up to $175m, the Pentagon announced during a visit to Kyiv by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken.

The $175m is part of more than $1bn in assistance that Blinken announced in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday, the first day of his two-day visit.

It is the first time the US is sending the armour-piercing munitions to Ukraine, although Britain has already done so. The US shells will arm the Abrams tanks that the US is also set to supply in the coming months.

The Russian embassy in Washington denounced the decision as “an indicator of inhumanity”, adding that “the United States is deluding itself by refusing to accept the failure of the Ukrainian military’s so-called counteroffensive”.

In a social media post on Telegram, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also slammed the US decision, writing: “What is this: a lie or stupidity?” She claimed an increase in cancer had been noted in places where ammunition with depleted uranium was used.