President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is completing the development of an anti-ballistic missile that is expected to become part of the joint European FREYJA system.
According to him, Europe needs more protection against ballistic missiles, while the new system must be powerful, reliable and less expensive than other solutions.
“Ukraine is ready to provide its part — an anti-ballistic missile. We are now completing work on it. It is important to give political approval to FREYJA as our joint project in the interests of all of Europe,” Zelenskyy said.
The president noted that Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain are represented in the project, along with the leadership of NATO and the European Union.
Representatives of FP, Thales, HENSOLDT, Diehl Defence, Saab, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Weibel, Leonardo, MBDA, Eurosam, Safran and Destinus also joined the meeting.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine can provide the interceptor missile, while other participants have radars and other critical components. He stressed the need to combine these capabilities and politically confirm that FREYJA is a joint project.
The president said the world’s existing anti-ballistic capabilities are insufficient. The United States is expanding Patriot production, while Europe is increasing production of SAMP/T, IRIS-T and NASAMS, but the need for protection exceeds the available capabilities.
Zelenskyy said Russia is relying on ballistic missile strikes against Ukrainian cities and villages. According to him, the Iranian regime uses similar tactics, while cooperation between Russia and North Korea has contributed to improvements in North Korean missiles.
“Our assessment is that there will be more ballistic missiles in the world. And there must be at least enough anti-ballistic capability,” the president said.
He believes Europe can become a global leader in producing anti-ballistic systems and independently determine how many systems it needs and where they should be deployed.
Zelenskyy expressed hope that the FREYJA system would become operational within the next 12 months.
“The threat of ballistic missiles in the world will only grow. This is one of the main consequences of the wars waged by Russia and Iran. That is why FREYJA must become a reality,” he stressed.
