Europe needs more anti-ballistic defence: I hope we will see FREYJA system in operation within next 12 months – Zelenskyy
Europe needs greater protection against ballistic missiles, and Ukraine is ready to provide its component—an anti-ballistic missile that is already in the final stages of development.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this ahead of a meeting of the Anti-Ballistic Coalition, according to Censor.NET.
More ballistic missile defence
"Today’s meeting can and must be historic. Europe needs more anti-ballistic defence—strong, reliable and less expensive than other systems. Together, we can create such a system and interceptor missiles for it. It will be called FREYJA, and I am grateful that this work has begun," the president said.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine can provide its part, the anti-ballistic missile.
"We are now completing work on it. Others have radars and other critical components. It is important that we combine our efforts. Today, at the level of leaders, it is very important to confirm politically that FREYJA is our joint project," he stressed.
The president added that the world lacked sufficient ballistic missile defence capabilities. He recalled that the United States was working to expand Patriot production, while Europe was expanding production of SAMP/T, IRIS-T and NASAMS systems. These are powerful systems, but the need for protection exceeds the available capabilities.
"Russia is making its final bet on ballistic missile strikes against cities and villages to break our people and deprive Ukraine of the ability to defend itself. The Iranian regime is waging war in the same way. Cooperation between Russia and North Korea has led to improvements in North Korean missiles. Our assessment is that there will be more ballistic missiles in the world. And there must at least be enough ballistic missile defence. This is exactly what we are working on. Europe can become a global leader in producing high-quality ballistic missile defence systems, free from political dependence," the president said.
He also said that Europeans themselves would be able to decide how many systems Europe needed and where they should be deployed. This would create a strategically new situation. Each European system would contribute its capabilities and provide different parts of Europe with a strategic foundation for defence.
When FREYJA will become operational
"I hope that within the next 12 months, we will see FREYJA in operation. The ballistic missile threat worldwide will only grow. This is one of the main consequences of the wars waged by Russia and Iran. Therefore, FREYJA must become a reality," Zelenskyy added.
What is known?
- In May this year, information emerged about the Freya project. It involves creating an air defence system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. However, analysts warn that it will take months before a combat-ready battery can be deployed.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently announced that the first meeting devoted to Ukraine’s Freya anti-ballistic system project would take place in France in the coming days. European leaders and defence companies are expected to participate in discussions on launching joint production of the new air defence system.
- On 13 July, Ukraine and nine other European countries officially announced the launch of the Anti-Ballistic Coalition.
