Britain on Wednesday defended its choice to produce Ukraine with weapons made with depleted uranium, a day after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia falsely claimed the fabric had a “nuclear part.”

Britain’s authorities has confirmed that it could present Ukraine with armor-piercing shells that include depleted uranium, alongside its Challenger 2 tanks, which use them. Depleted uranium is an ordinary part in standard anti-armor weapons that NATO nations have used for many years, and Britain mentioned in an announcement that the ammunition it was offering had nothing to do with nuclear weapons.

The density of depleted uranium makes it an efficient materials for piercing heavy armor on the battlefield, and is utilized by many militaries. Amongst them are Russia’s, which upgraded its most important battle tank so as to add the flexibility to fireside depleted uranium shells, the Tass state information company reported in 2018.

James Cleverly, Britain’s overseas secretary, informed reporters on Wednesday that there was “no nuclear escalation,” including, “The one nation on the planet that’s speaking about nuclear points is Russia.”

Uranium, a heavy metallic, have to be enriched for use for nuclear functions. Depleted uranium, which is about two and a half occasions denser than metal, is a byproduct of that enrichment, nonetheless radioactive however at a a lot decrease stage.

Mr. Putin’s false assertion got here in an announcement on Tuesday throughout his summit with China’s chief, Xi Jinping, who U.S. officers consider has been urging Russia to not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Depleted uranium has been utilized by militaries way back to the 1990 Gulf Warfare, so “that is nothing new and nothing uncommon,” mentioned Stuart Crawford, a protection analyst and former military officer in Britain. Mr. Crawford mentioned that Russia makes use of depleted uranium in a few of its ammunition, together with 125-millimeter tank rounds.

It’s definitely not a “nuclear part” as Mr. Putin described it, he mentioned.

“Saying this ups the ante or escalates the battle due to the nuclear facet is simply nonsense,” Mr. Crawford mentioned.

Questions have lengthy adopted the usage of depleted uranium in some munitions and armor, as exterior teams have raised environmental and security issues. A 2022 report from the United Nations Surroundings Program recognized depleted uranium as a threat within the struggle in Ukraine, saying that whereas it doesn’t launch radiation that may penetrate wholesome pores and skin, it “does have the potential to trigger radiation harm if inhaled or ingested,” which might occur when the fabric is pulverized on influence.

The Pentagon has additionally deemed depleted uranium secure, although after the U.S. navy used it in Iraq, some activists and others related it to beginning defects and cancers. Quite a few research have been performed on a attainable hyperlink, with out agency conclusions.

In 2013, Britain’s Ministry of Protection downplayed any well being or environmental dangers associated to the usage of depleted uranium. In a paper, it mentioned that whereas the mud launched on influence can typically be a well being hazard, “all of the analysis thus far signifies that these circumstances are extraordinarily unlikely to happen, and, in the event that they do, will solely have an effect on very small teams who will likely be at a lot higher threat from the opposite hazards related to armed battle.”

The Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, mentioned in a briefing on Tuesday that, to his data, america has not offered Ukraine with any ammunition that features depleted uranium.

Mr. Putin’s feedback didn’t seem like associated to environmental or heath dangers, however as an alternative accused the West of escalating the struggle by sending weapons with depleted uranium and mentioned Russia “must reply accordingly.” That seemed to be a veiled risk to wield Moscow’s nuclear arsenal in Ukraine, as Mr. Putin has warned of at occasions through the struggle.

U.S. officers have mentioned they’ve seen no effort by Russia to maneuver or make use of its nuclear weapons and consider the chance of their use is low, although worries linger.