Ukraine prepares a new stage of the joint anti-ballistic program FREYJA
Ukraine will soon hold meetings with states and defense companies participating in the development of the joint European anti-ballistic program FREYJA. In parallel, Kyiv is working on additional capabilities for long-range strikes.
This was announced by President Vladimir Zelensky following a report by NSDC Secretary Igor Klimenko.
According to the head of state, the results of work in both areas are planned to be submitted for consideration to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters.
"In the near future, meetings will be held with partners at the level of states and companies involved in the development of the joint anti-ballistic program FREYJA. We are also working to develop our additional capabilities for long-range strikes," — Zelensky said.
The President did not specify with representatives of which countries and companies the upcoming meetings will take place, nor did he reveal new technical characteristics of the systems being developed.
FREYJA is being created as a joint European system to counter ballistic threats. The first summit dedicated to the implementation of the program took place on July 13 in Paris. As a result, a joint declaration on the establishment of an Integrated Anti-Ballistic Coalition was signed.
The founders of the coalition were 10 states: Ukraine, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Other partners may also join the project.
Ukraine plans to provide its own missile and launcher for the future system, while partners should provide other critical components, including radars and sensors. In August, Zelensky said that work on the program had already entered an active phase.
According to the President, the creation of a European anti-ballistic system is necessary due to the shortage of existing means to intercept ballistic missiles. The United States is simultaneously increasing production of Patriot, and European states are developing production of SAMP/T, IRIS-T and NASAMS, but existing capabilities are insufficient for the current threat level.
Zelensky previously said that Ukraine expects to see a practical result of the FREYJA program within 12 months.
A separate area remains the development of Ukrainian long-range weapons. The President did not disclose details of current developments. He previously reported on Ukraine's work on its own ballistic missiles and stated that the tests conducted demonstrated significant potential.
In addition, the NSDC Secretary must monitor the implementation of already adopted decisions on countering Russian strike drones and accelerating the production of relevant means.
"It is important that our previous decisions on countering Russian strike drones and accelerating the relevant production processes work 100 percent," — Zelensky stressed.
Based on materials: Vladimir Zelensky, Office of the President of Ukraine
