LONDON: The UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced that the Britain will send its first long-range missiles to Ukraine despite a threat by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the West against the delivery of these weapons to Kiev.

"As Russia's tactics change, so must our support for Ukraine," Wallace said in a statement late Sunday. These highly capable multiple-launch rocket launchers will enable our Ukrainian allies to better defend themselves against Putin's forces' indiscriminate use of long-range artillery to flatten cities." According to the BBC, he stated that the UK is providing "vital weapons they (Ukrainians) need to protect their country from unjustified invasion."

The United Kingdom's multiple launch rocket system can fire 12 surface-to-surface missiles in under a minute and hit targets within 80 kilometres with precise accuracy.  The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is similar to the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) that the US is sending to Ukraine "following receipt of guarantees that they would be used for defensive purposes only and not to strike targets inside Russia," according to a BBC report.

Wallace's declaration came only hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned to broaden the list of targets it will attack in Ukraine if the West sends long-range weapons to Kiev.

"In general, all this commotion over further arms supply, in my opinion, has only one objective - to drag out the armed confrontation as long as possible," the President stated in an interview with Russia 1 on Sunday.

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