UK pledges "tens of thousands" more artillery shells for Ukraine

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will supply "tens of thousands" more artillery shells to Ukraine this year, the government's defence department announced on Tuesday.

"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," defence minister Grant Shapps after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Germany said.

"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."

Britain, a key defence supplier for Ukraine, is trying to increase its production of weaponry, particularly artillery shells, to try to help Kyiv push back Russian forces and replenish its own stockpiles

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman, writing by Muvija M; editing by William James)