Putin's warning over depleted uranium tank ammunition dismissed by UK

Russian leader says his country will 'respond accordingly' if Britain sends the armour-piercing shells to Kyiv

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a news conference in Moscow. AP

The UK has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deliberate disinformation after he claimed Britain was supplying Ukraine with "weapons with a nuclear component".

After concluding a second day of talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Mr Putin said Russia would "respond accordingly" if the UK sent depleted uranium tank ammunition to the government in Kyiv.

However, the Ministry of Defence dismissed the warning, saying the armour-piercing shells had been standard equipment for decades and had "nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities".

After declaring relations between Russia and China to be “at their highest point”, Mr Putin said the UK planned to send the Ukrainians depleted uranium shells along with a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks.

"It looks like the West, indeed, intends to fight Russia until the last Ukrainian," he said.

"If that happens, Russia will respond accordingly, given that the collective West is starting to use weapons with a nuclear component."

Mr Putin did not elaborate on what the response might be.

In response, a UK Defence Ministry spokesman said: "Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition, including armour-piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium.

"Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armoured vehicles.

"The British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour-piercing shells for decades. It is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities.

"Russia knows this but is deliberately trying to disinform."

The Defence Ministry said independent research by scientists from groups such as the Royal Society had assessed that any impact to personal health and the environment from the use of depleted uranium munitions was "likely to be low".

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping meet in Moscow — in pictures

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  China's President Xi Jinping with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Reuters

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  Mr Xi's motorcade drives toward the Kremlin. AP

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  Mr Xi, accompanied by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, at a welcome ceremony at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. AFP

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  Mr Xi arrives at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. AFP

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  Both countries' national flags wave at the Russian-Chinese Greenwood business district in Moscow. EPA

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  Traditional Russian dolls depicting the presidents at a gift shop in central Moscow. AFP