Zelenskyy announces European coalition to build Freya, a cheaper Patriot alternative

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine will hold its first coalition meeting on a domestically developed ballistic missile defense system in France "in the coming days," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday, advancing Kyiv's long-standing effort to produce a homegrown counter to Russia's ballistic missiles.

The initiative follows this week's NATO summit in Ankara, where allies pledged €70 billion ($80 billion) in military aid for Ukraine this year. U.S. President Donald Trump also committed to allowing Ukraine a license to build its own Patriot interceptors—a long-awaited goal for Kyiv.

"We'll give them the right to make Patriots," Trump said.

The Freya System

"This is a European model," Zelenskyy said Thursday. "FREYA is our Ukrainian anti-ballistic system... an analogue in terms of intercepting ballistic targets, an analogue of Patriot, but a system for more mass production and a cheaper system."

Freya centers on the FP-7.X interceptor, produced by the Ukrainian company Fire Point, and is designed to hit a ballistic target at approximately 15 miles altitude. Like Patriot interceptors, Freya is an entire system and will rely on allies for production support.

"A system needs not only a missile and a launcher. It needs radars, command and control, and many different elements," Zelenskyy said. "To create our anti-ballistic system very quickly, we need European partners who have production of those things that Ukraine does not yet have for its own anti-ballistic system."

Strategic Context

Long-range missile and drone strikes caused 45% of Ukraine's civilian casualties in May—the worst monthly toll since April 2022, according to a U.N. report.

Ballistic missiles remain the one threat Ukraine still cannot intercept with a system it built itself. Freya could change that, potentially shifting Kyiv's position on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

Production and Partnerships

Fire Point has signed a memorandum with Germany's Hensoldt for radar technology and is in talks with France's Thales, Italy's Leonardo, and Norway's Kongsberg to supply tracking and command-and-control systems.

Zelenskyy said the Freya coalition, which he described as comprising roughly eight partner nations, will accelerate the production process and enable a faster timeline.

"We can do it ourselves, but years will pass," he said.

Cost and Timeline

Fire Point is targeting a per-shot cost near $700,000, compared to roughly $3.8 million for a Patriot PAC-3.

The missile was flight-tested in early June, the company said. It aims to mass-produce three units per day starting in August and intercept its first ballistic missile by the end of 2027.

The upcoming meeting in France may yield further updates, as Zelenskyy noted the current plan depends on partner nations, their manufacturers, and their production capacity signing on.

"God willing, the partners will support it, and God willing, our manufacturers will succeed with all of this," he said.

Katie Livingstone is the Ukraine correspondent for Defense News and Military Times. Based in Kyiv, she has covered Russia's full-scale invasion since its first days. She is a former Fulbright fellow whose award-winning work has appeared in outlets across Europe and the U.S.