President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists at the recent briefing that eight countries may join Freya, Ukraine's own ballistic-missile interceptor project, per Ukrinform. He added that if allies supported the initiative, it would be "a big help and breakthrough for Ukraine's defense-industrial complex.
Ukraine began assembling the coalition in late May 2026, when Sweden agreed to be the first major partner during Zelenskyy's 28 May visit to Uppsala. Germany joined the 18 June Ramstein-format meeting in Brussels, where Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius signed a joint development agreement. Pistorius said seven German companies are interested in the project.
Freya would cost roughly $700,000 per shot
Freya recycles a Soviet S-300 interceptor and depends on a German infrared seeker, but Ukrainian and German industry are developing the wider system around it. If operational, Freya would cost roughly $700,000 per round, a fraction of the $3.8 million Patriot missile it is meant to supplement. Fire Point, the Kyiv munitions firm developing Freya, aims to begin serial production as early as August 2026, with a first ballistic intercept targeted for the end of 2027.
Defense expert Marc DeVore told Euromaidan Press in June 2026 that he would be very happy if Freya were truly operational by December 2027, and is fairly doubtful it will be by December 2026. The global interceptor bottleneck involves only about five or six producers worldwide, including the US and Japan (Patriot), South Korea, Russia, and the Franco-Italian consortium (SAMP/T).
Ukraine works multiple air defense tracks
Zelenskyy said Ukraine also expects to receive SAMP-T systems under an agreement he signed with French President Emmanuel Macron. Both Patriot and SAMP-T deliveries will take time due to low production volumes and long queues from other countries. That is why Ukraine is working on several tracks at once, including its own European anti-air project, Zelenskyy said.
Patriot remains the most effective anti-ballistic system, Zelenskyy added, and has proved its effectiveness in Ukraine's war. He thanked the US and European partners who have helped supply the systems.
