Ukrainian officials and a coalition of eight European partners will soon hold their first meeting dedicated to the joint development of Kiev's "Freya" anti-ballistic missile systems, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 9, Kyiv Independent reports.
"Freya" is a Ukrainian air defense system currently under development. Designed by defense company Fire Point — which produces the highly effective FP-1 and FP-2 strike drones, as well as the Ukrainian "Flamingo" cruise missile; — "Freya" is specifically designed to defend against Russian ballistic missiles.
In comments to reporters on July 9, Zelensky described the development of "Freya" as a collaboration with European partners under Ukrainian leadership.
"Our first meeting on this issue will be held in France. It will take place in the near future," Zelensky said.
At this meeting, Ukraine will present a proposal to accelerate the development of "Freya" systems through cooperation with European partners, who in turn will be able to use "Freya" for their own missile defense.
According to Zelensky, the "Freya" air defense system will be equivalent to the American Patriot in terms of effective interception of ballistic missiles. The goal, however, is for the Ukrainian version to be "mass-produced and cheaper".
The production of "Freya" interceptors on such a scale requires parts and products from Europe that Ukraine does not yet have, he said.
"We can do it ourselves, but it will take years. This is a very long time," Zelensky said. "But now we can do it very quickly thanks to this coalition."
Eight countries have currently joined the anti-missile coalition, the president told reporters, without specifying who they are. He said the proposal for the project to develop "Freya" will be presented to the coalition "in the coming days".
"If the leaders, their production capabilities and their companies support "Freya", it will become a reality in the near future," he said.
Zelensky did not specify when the coalition meeting would be held.
Although Fire Point announced a successful test of the "Freya" system on June 3, analysts say the system is still many months away from achieving initial operational readiness. Even then, many experts are skeptical that it will be able to reach the levels of anti-missile effectiveness of the Patriot system.
But with Ukraine facing a critical shortage of "Patriot" missiles and a series of Russian missile strikes, finding alternative ways to deal with the ballistic threat has become a top priority. The successful test of the FP-7.X interceptor — the missile component of the "Freya" system — has reportedly given hope, with Fire Point co-owner and chief designer Denis Shtilerman saying mass production could begin as early as August 2026.
Zelensky said the success of the "Freya" project could become a "significant breakthrough" for Ukraine's defense industry.
"Then we will close Ukraine's airspace with our own forces," he commented.