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Hungary does not support UK’s decision to ship depleted uranium shells to Kiev — official

"Hungary does not support any actions that could lead to an escalation of the war," Hungarian Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyas stressed

Hungarian Minister of Prime Ministers Office Gergely Gulyas Michael Debets/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Hungarian Minister of Prime Ministers Office Gergely Gulyas

© Michael Debets/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

BUDAPEST, March 23. /TASS/. Hungary considers the UK’s decision to ship depleted uranium shells to Ukraine wrong, Hungarian Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyas told reported Thursday.

This step does not lead towards de-escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, Gulyas said, adding that Hungary would not recommend anyone to use depleted uranium shells.

"Hungary does not support any actions that could lead to an escalation of the war," the Minister said.

He also noted that the Hungarian government does not ship weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, and calls for resolution of the ongoing conflict only via peace negotiations.

Earlier on Monday, UK Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie said in her written response to an inquiry by Member of the House of Lords Raymond Jolliffe that British authorities will send shells to Ukraine that contain depleted uranium and that feature improved efficiency against armored vehicles.

Commenting on this decision of British authorities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia will have to correspondingly react to the fact that the "collective West begins using weapons with a nuclear component."

The Russian Embassy in the UK warned London against shipping depleted uranium shells to Kiev. The Embassy underscored that this step may cause an escalation of the conflict, and use of such shells in Ukraine would affect the health of the local population.

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