As part of a new “purely defensive Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition,” Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom will back the Ukraine-led Project Freyja missile defense system being developed by missile-maker Fire Point.
It is designed to integrate with existing NATO-standard radars, command posts and data links from all the participating countries rather than acting as a standalone national system. The goal is to deliver a cheaper, mass-produced alternative to the Patriot PAC-3.
“What we are building here is not only for Ukraine. It is a demonstration that Europe can provide for its own security, defend its interests and act with force,” French President Emmanuel Macron said, adding that the meeting was also attended by representatives of the European defense companies.
The Freyja project is not without risks, especially given the recent collapse of another ambitious cross-border military partnership, the Future Combat Air System , the Franco-German-Spanish next-generation fighter project.
And despite major advances in the Ukrainian defense sector during the war — especially in drone technology — developing and fielding Freyja poses significant technical and industrial challenges. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hoped the system would be operational in a year.
U.S. President Donald Trump also agreed in principle with Zelenskyy last week to allow Ukraine to build its own Patriot interceptors; only Germany and Japan have such permission. But the deal still needs to be negotiated and approved and then complex production set up inside Ukraine, meaning it will not provide immediate relief against Russian attacks.