Russia’s Putin arrives in Kremlin after false nuclear claim

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia arrived in the Kremlin on Tuesday after talks with President Xi Jinping of China.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia falsely claimed the material had a nuclear component. Russia and many armies use it in weapons.

Britain has defended its decision to supply Ukraine with weapons made with depleted uranium, a day after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia falsely claimed the material had a nuclear component. Britain s government has confirmed that it will provide Ukraine with armor-piercing shells that contain depleted uranium, along with its Challenger 2 tanks that use them. Britain said in a statement that the ammunition it provided had nothing to do with nuclear weapons, because it is a standard component in conventional anti-armor weapons that NATO countries have used for decades. The density of depleted uranium makes it an effective material for piercing heavy armor on the battlefield, and is used by many militaries. Russia s has upgraded its main battle tank to add the ability to fire depleted uranium shells, according to the Tass state news agency in 2018. James Cleverly, Britain's foreign secretary, told reporters on Wednesday that there was no nuclear escalation and that the only country in the world talking about nuclear issues is Russia. Some activists and others connected it to birth defects and cancers have been deemed safe by the Pentagon, though after the U.S. military used it in Iraq. Numerous studies have been conducted on a possible link, without firm conclusions. In 2013, Britain s Ministry of Defense downplayed any health or environmental risks related to the use of depleted uranium. The research to date indicates that these circumstances are extremely unlikely to occur and will only affect very small groups, who will be at greater risk from the other hazards associated with armed conflict, and that the dust released on impact can sometimes be a health hazard. Brig. Gen. Brig. The United States has not provided Ukraine with ammunition that contains depleted uranium, according to a briefing on Tuesday by Gen. Patrick S. Ryder. Putin said that he did not appear to be related to environmental or heath risks, but instead accused the West of escalating the war by sending weapons with depleted uranium and said Russia will have to respond accordingly. That appeared to be a veiled threat to Moscow's nuclear arsenal in Ukraine, as Mr. Putin warned of at times during the war. U.S. officials have said they have seen no effort by Russia to move or employ nuclear weapons and believe that the risk of their use is low, though worries linger.