UK pledges tens of thousands more artillery shells for Ukraine
The UK has delivered its 300,000th artillery shell to Ukraine and has committed to providing tens of thousands more this year.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps pledged the UK's "unwavering commitment" to Ukraine as he met the country's new defence minister for the first time.
Mr Shapps hailed the unity of partners and allies in delivering military support to Ukraine when he attended the 15th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) at the US Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany, alongside Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.
The group brings ministers and senior officials from nearly 50 nations together to coordinate international support for Ukraine.
It marks Mr Shapps' first meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, after being appointed to the post in a Cabinet mini-reshuffle last month.
UK's 'unwavering commitment' to Ukraine
The Defence Secretary outlined the UK's priority areas of military support for the coming months, including air defence and long-range strike capabilities.
Following the meeting, Mr 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."
The Defence Secretary also held a bilateral meeting 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.
President Putin 'should be worried'
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 UK continues to be one of the leading providers of military support for Ukraine, having provided £2.3bn worth in 2022 and having committed to maintain that support this year.
It was the first country to donate modern main battle tanks, train Ukrainian tank crews in the UK and deliver them within 11 weeks of the announcement.
To date, the UK has supplied more than 12,000 anti-tank weapons, 300,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, thousands of air defence missiles, self-propelled artillery, and more than 200,000 pieces of non-lethal equipment, including extreme cold weather clothing, mine detection equipment, and industrial strength generators.
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