- The UK has delivered its 300,000th artillery shell to
Ukraine, and has committed to delivering tens of thousands more
this year.
- Comes as the Defence Secretary and Chief of the Defence Staff
joined representatives from 50 nations to urge further support.
- The Defence Secretary outlined the UK’s priority areas of
military support for the coming months, including air defence and
long-range strike capabilities.
The UK has delivered over 300,000 artillery shells to Ukraine and
is committed to delivering tens of thousands more artillery
shells this year, the Defence Secretary announced today, as he
hailed the unity of partners and allies in delivering military
support to Ukraine.
The Defence Secretary attended the 15th meeting of the Ukraine
Defence Contact Group (UDCG) today at the US Air Force base in
Ramstein, Germany, alongside Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS),
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. The UDCG brings together ministers and
senior officials from nearly 50 nations to coordinate
international support for Ukraine.
During the meeting, both the Defence Secretary and CDS emphasised
the UK’s unwavering commitment to providing vital munitions to
help Ukraine defend itself, having recently completed delivery of
the 300,000th artillery shell to Ukraine.
Defence Secretary 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 meeting provided an opportunity for the Defence Secretary to
meet the new Defence Minister of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, for the
first time.
He also held a bilateral meeting with the 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.
The Defence Secretary outlined priority areas for support in the
coming months, including air defence to protect Ukraine’s
critical national infrastructure during the winter, further
artillery ammunition, and support to help Ukraine sustain the
capabilities already provided – including to recover and repair
equipment used in its counter-offensive.
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 is committed to standing with Ukraine for as long as it
takes to defend itself against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked
invasion. The UK is one of the leading providers of military
support for Ukraine, having provided £2.3 billion worth in 2022
and having committed to maintain that support in 2023. It was the
first country to donate modern main battle
tanks as well as training Ukrainian tank
crews in the UK and delivering them within 11 weeks of
announcement.
The Royal Air Force will also work as part of a wider international effort
to train the next generation of Ukraine’s combat pilots, who
will fly the fourth-generation fighter jets being provided by
Allies.
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.
