UK pledges more artillery shells for Ukraine

The defence secretary Grant Shapps has committed to delivering tens of thousands more artillery shells to Ukraine.

The announcement comes as the UK recently delivered its 300,000th artillery shell to Ukraine.

Shppas attended the 15th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) at the US Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany, along with chief of the defence staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. The UDCG brings together ministers and senior officials from nearly 50 nations to coordinate international support for Ukraine.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, said: "With representatives from 50 nations gathered in Ramstein today, President Putin should be worried. This is a tangible demonstration of the international community’s continued resolve to back Ukraine with the military support it requires through the winter and into 2024.

"The United Kingdom will continue to work with our allies and partners to help build Ukraine’s long-term resilience so it can fulfil its potential as a secure and prosperous sovereign nation."
The meeting was the first time Shapps met his Ukrainian counterpart, defence minister of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov. He also met with US secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, to discuss shared security interests and ongoing work to align international defence industrial output and optimise supply chains to ensure a steady and increased flow of munitions to Ukraine.

Shapps said: "Today we’ve demonstrated the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine and set out more military support, including pledging tens of thousands more artillery shells to enable Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked invasion and to retake illegally occupied territories.

"To ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself as we approach winter, we have also set out how the UK will go further in the coming months in our priority support areas, including air defence and long-range strike capabilities, and training."

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