Ukraine says it has completed its part of European Freyja missile defense project

"Ukraine has done what it needed to do. What our partners need to do is still in progress," Zelenskyy told journalists, according to Ukrinform.

The project involves 10 countries, including Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he had discussed it with French President Emmanuel Macron and identified Norway as another key partner.

"Systems like this take decades to develop. We want to move very quickly because we don't have time," he said.

A European alternative to existing missile defenses

The Freyja project aims to combine Ukrainian interceptor missile technology with European radars, sensors and command-and-control systems.

Ukraine and nine European partners announced the initiative in July 2026, seeking to accelerate development of a system capable of countering ballistic missile threats.

Ukrainian defense company Fire Point is a leading industrial partner in the project. Its proposed FP-7.x interceptor is intended to form the basis of the system.

Fire Point has reported tests in which the missile reached an altitude of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles). The company says the interceptor is designed to reach speeds of 1,500–2,000 meters per second.

The company has also proposed a target price of approximately $700,000 per interceptor, compared with roughly $3.8 million for a Patriot PAC-3 interceptor, according to figures previously cited by Fire Point.

These are the developer's stated performance and cost targets, not independently verified capabilities of a completed air defense system.

European defense companies including Eurosam, Leonardo, Thales and Saab have joined the project. Fire Point has also announced an agreement with Germany's HENSOLDT concerning radar supply.

The system is being developed with an open architecture, allowing participating countries to integrate their own radar and command systems.

Ukraine hopes to have a prototype ready in the first half of 2027. The system is not yet operational, and its ability to intercept ballistic missiles in combat has not been demonstrated publicly.