Ben Wallace admits West needs to ‘ramp up’ production of ammunition for Ukraine

‘Ukraine uses huge amounts of ammunition to defend itself... because the Russian or the Soviet way of fighting is very ammunition heavy,’ says defence secretary

The Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has admitted that Western allies need to "ramp up" production of ammunition to support Ukraine as it faces increasingly intense assault by Russia's forces.

Moscow has been bombarding the frontlines in the east Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. The two areas make up what is known as the Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland, which Russia is keen to control. Ukraine says that the situation is "difficult".

Asked on Sky News if the UK needed to “ramp up production”, Mr Wallace said: “You’re right about needing to ramp up production. The invasion of Ukraine caught most of the Nato members out insofar as our ammunition stocks over the decades had been hollowed out.