Britain will give Ukraine a supply of long-range Storm Shadow missiles, defence secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed.
Speaking in the Commons on Thursday, Wallace said the move was designed to give Ukraine “the best chance to defend themselves against Russia’s continued brutality”.
The British-French air-launched missile has a range over over 155 miles and would allow Ukraine to strike deep into areas of the country currently occupied by Russia.
It comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his military needs more time to prepare a counter-offensive aimed at pushing back Russian forces.
He told the BBC that it would be “unacceptable” to launch the assault now because too many lives would be lost.
Wallace told MPs today: “Today I can confirm that the UK is donating Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.
“Storm Shadow is a long-range, conventional-only, precision-strike capability. It complements the long-range systems already gifted, including Himars and Harpoon missiles, as well as Ukraine’s own Neptune cruise missile.”
He added: “The donation of these weapons systems gives Ukraine the best chance to defend themselves against Russia’s continued brutality, especially the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, which is against international law.
The defence secretary said “Ukraine has a right to be able to defend itself against this”.