Reuters was first to report last week that the rounds, which could help destroy Russian tanks, would form part of a new military aid package for Ukraine, which Russian forces invaded in February 2022.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon said the military aid would also include anti-armour systems, tactical air navigation systems and additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars).

The announcement coincides with top US diplomat Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv in a gesture of support as a Ukraine counter-offensive against occupying Russian troops grinds into its fourth month with only small gains.

The US$175 million was part of a total of more than US$1 billion in assistance that Blinken announced in the Ukrainian capital.

It also included over US$665 million in new military and civilian security assistance and millions of dollars in support for Ukraine’s air defenses and other areas.

Although Britain sent depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine earlier this year, this would be the first US shipment of the ammunition and will likely stir controversy.

The Russian embassy in Washington denounced the decision as “an indicator of inhumanity”, adding that “the US is deluding itself by refusing to accept the failure of the Ukrainian military’s so-called counter-offensive.”

Blinken on Wednesday hailed progress in the pushback and said of the fresh US package of support: “This new assistance will help sustain it and build further momentum.”

Washington previously announced it would send cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite concerns over the dangers such weapons pose to civilians.

The use of depleted uranium munitions has been fiercely debated, with opponents like the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects.