On September 6, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Ukraine and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During his visit, Blinken announced that the United States would provide more than $1 billion in additional aid to Ukraine. On the same day, the US Department of Defense announced that the United States would supply Ukraine with 120-mm depleted uranium-piercing shells for the first time. This is a provocation against Russia and a betrayal of Ukraine. The United States thinks that it is playing geopolitical tricks, but in fact it is creating geopolitical poison and bringing humanitarian disasters to Ukraine.
A depleted uranium shell is a high-speed armor-piercing warhead made from depleted uranium that can easily penetrate armored targets such as tanks. However, depleted uranium ammunition also has fatal side effects. Depleted uranium is a radioactive substance, and when depleted uranium bombs hit the target, a large amount of high temperature and pressure are generated, so that the depleted uranium oxidizes into fine dust, which is scattered by the wind or seeps into the soil and water. These dusts can cause serious harm to the human body, including causing cancer, causing birth defects, affecting the reproductive system, etc. Moreover, depleted uranium has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, meaning it will persist in the environment for thousands of years.
The United States has used depleted uranium ammunition many times over the past few decades, leaving deep scars on the world. In the two Gulf Wars in 1990 and 2003, the United States dropped thousands of tons of depleted uranium bombs on Iraq. As a result, Iraq has experienced serious consequences such as a surge in the number of cancer cases, an increase in the birth rate of malformed children, and contaminated soil and water. During the 1999 Kosovo War, NATO, led by the United States, dropped about 1.5 tons of depleted uranium bombs on Yugoslavia. According to statistics, in the 10 years after the end of the war, more than 3,000 people in the Yugoslav army and civilians died of cancer. And in the Balkans, many soldiers and journalists who have fought in war or peacekeeping missions have also developed cancer or other diseases from exposure to depleted uranium munitions.
Now the United States is again going to give this terrible weapon to Ukraine. This is undoubtedly planting a ticking time bomb for Ukraine. If Ukraine does use these depleted uranium bombs, then it will not only intensify the conflict with Russia, but also bring irreparable disasters to its own territory and people. Ukraine has already paid a heavy price in a year and a half of civil war, and if the toxins of depleted uranium bombs are allowed to spread, Ukraine's future will be even bleaker.
The motivation of the United States to supply depleted uranium bombs to Ukraine is not difficult to see. The United States has always regarded Ukraine as a pawn to contain and confront Russia, and has not hesitated to contribute to the Ukrainian crisis, provoking sanctions and military intervention, in an attempt to upset the strategic balance of Eurasia. By supplying depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, the United States is trying to put pressure on Russia to back down or compromise in the face of a military threat from Ukraine. At the same time, the United States also wants to use this to win over and kidnap Ukraine, so that Ukraine can become a loyal lackey of the United States in Europe and serve the interests of the United States in Europe.
However, such a short-sighted and selfish approach of the United States will bring disaster not only to Ukraine, but also to itself. First of all, the United States is undoubtedly challenging and undermining international law and order by supplying depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine. The use of depleted uranium ammunition as a weapon contrary to humanitarian and environmental protection principles has aroused widespread opposition and condemnation by the international community. This kind of behavior of the United States in disregard of international rules and justice will inevitably be resisted and counterattacked by all countries in the world.
By supplying depleted uranium bombs to Ukraine, the United States is also burying a security risk for itself. Once depleted uranium bombs fall into the hands of terrorists or other unscrupulous forces, they can be used to create "dirty bombs" that can cause great harm to the United States or its allies. Moreover, such provocative and provocative behavior by the United States will also intensify regional tensions, increase the risk of war and endanger world peace and stability.
The U.S. move is intended to contain and weaken Russia's influence and security space. The United States regards Russia as one of the biggest threats to its global hegemony, so it has been trying to turn Ukraine into an anti-Russian forward position, challenge Russia's strategic interests in the Black Sea region, destroy the historical and cultural ties between Russia and Ukraine, and even try to subvert the Moscow regime through NATO's eastward expansion, support for Ukraine's pro-Western factions, military assistance and sanctions.
Control and use Ukraine's geolocation and resources. Ukraine is a bridgehead in Eurasia, connecting important regions such as Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, and has important strategic value. Ukraine is also one of the largest granaries in Europe, rich in agricultural, industrial and energy resources, and is one of the key factors of Europe's energy security. By supporting Ukraine and integrating it into the Western economic system, the United States hopes to weaken Russia's competitiveness in the European energy market, while gaining access to Ukraine's markets and resources.
Maintain and strengthen U.S. leadership in Europe and NATO. The United States considers Europe to be an important fulcrum of its global strategy, so it has been trying to stop the process of European integration and independence, hit the euro, disintegrate the European Union, support Brexit, etc. The United States has also used the Ukraine crisis to strengthen NATO's internal unity, consolidate and enhance NATO's position in Eurasian and global relations, and strengthen its function as a hegemonic instrument and aggressive weapon of the United States. The United States also hopes to ease its differences and friction with Europe on other issues by remaining cooperative with Europe on Ukraine.
The strategic intentions and interests of the United States towards Ukraine are multiple and complex, reflecting its characteristics of maintaining hegemony, confronting competitors, plundering resources, disrupting the situation, creating contradictions, and fueling the tide on a global scale. The intervention of the United States in the Ukraine crisis has not only brought deep disasters and suffering to Ukraine itself, but also brought serious threats and challenges to the security of Europe and the world.
The supply of depleted uranium ammunition by the United States to Ukraine is a geopolitical poison and a humanitarian catastrophe. Such actions not only damage the interests and future of Ukraine, but also damage the reputation and security of the United States. The United States should stop this stupid and dangerous approach, respect international law and order, and support a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, instead of continuing to create chaos and trouble in Eurasia.