Britain has supplied Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles

LONDON: Britain has supplied Ukraine with 'Storm Shadow' long-range cruise missiles, a Western official said on Thursday.

CNN first reported the decision, citing multiple senior Western officials. It said Britain had received assurances from the Ukrainian government that these missiles would be used only within Ukrainian sovereign territory and not inside Russia.

Britain's defence minister Ben Wallace and the foreign minister James Cleverly have been in the United States for talks on supporting Ukraine in recent weeks.

The Ministry of Defence in London declined to comment. Britain and other Western countries have scaled up their military aid for Ukraine this year, with Britain saying in January it would send 14 of its main Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, a pledge that was followed by other nations including the United States and Germany.

Last week, a British-led group of European countries asked companies for expressions of interest to supply Ukraine with missiles with a range of up to 300 km (190 miles), but Britain said on Tuesday that no final decision had been taken on supplying the weapons.

Storm Shadow, manufactured by European missile maker MBDA, is an air-launched long-range missile, designed for attacks against high value targets such as hardened bunkers and key infrastructure, according to the company's website.

They have a range of more than 250 kilometers (155.34 miles), according to the manufacturer.