France's President Emmanuel Macron made this statement on July 11, the first day of the NATO summit. The main theme of the summit is the alliance's response to russia's war against Ukraine and Kyiv's push for NATO membership.
Macron did not provide any details regarding the type and quantity of missiles, but it is likely referring to the SCALP long-range missiles, as he hinted in an interview with Le Monde in May.
Read more: Ben Wallace Says That the Storm Shadow Missiles Sent by the UK to Ukraine are Having a Significant Impact on the Battlefield
"We have decided to supply Ukraine with new long-range missiles. I think it is important for us today to send a signal of support to Ukraine, a signal of NATO unity," the president Macron said after arriving at the NATO summit venue in Vilnius, Lithuania.
French media reports that Paris has made the decision to supply guided air-to-ground missiles capable of striking fixed targets at long distances, following London's lead. Previously, France had ruled out such a possibility due to the risk of missile use on russian territory.
As Reuters reports, a French diplomatic source said they were talking about 50 SCALP missiles produced by European manufacturer MBDA. The missiles would come from existing French military stocks, a French military source told reporters, adding that it would be a "significant number".
SCALP, also known as Storm Shadow, is an Anglo-French air-to-ground missile produced by MBDA, with a warhead weight of 450 kg and a range of over 250 km.
As Defense Express reported, Ukraine’s Air Force Spokesman said that Storm Shadow missiles were working and had a significant impact on the battlefield, but Ukraine needed ATACMS.
Read more: Object-100 Utes Would be Another Target for Ukrainian Storm Shadow Missile Along With Kerch Bridge
