The US Department of Defense recommended that officials from President Joseph Biden's administration provide Ukraine with artillery shells containing white phosphorus. The White House has rejected such an idea several times.
This was reported by NBC News, citing three people familiar with the matter.
According to them, the Pentagon recommended providing Ukraine with white phosphorus shells as part of several aid packages.
They added that if approved, the phosphorus munitions would most likely not be designated, as was the case with previous weapons and ammunition that the US sent to Ukraine, but did not publicly announce.
Two of the officials said the stigma attached to white phosphorus and concerns that it could harm civilians prevented Biden administration officials from approving the recommendation.
During 20th century conflicts, including World War II and Vietnam, the US used white phosphorus against enemy troops. The US now uses white phosphorus in artillery shells to create smoke and conceal troop movements, as well as to create light and illumination of the battlefield.
The Pentagon's recommendation was to provide Ukraine with white phosphorus artillery shells to create light and smoke, not for use against enemy forces.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on September 25, the US Department of Defense announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth USD 375 million.
We will remind, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the US leadership for the decision to send almost USD 8 billion to help Ukraine. We are talking about funds that were not used by Washington and could "burn up" in a few months.
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