The founding members of the coalition are Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The format remains open to other nations that share its principles and objectives.
The Paris meeting focused on building a European industrial framework for a common anti-ballistic missile capability. Participants included representatives of Kongsberg D&A, Thales, Safran, MBDA, Eurosam, Saab, Diehl Defence, Weibel Scientific, Fire Point, HENSOLDT, Sener and Leonardo.
“I want to thank everyone here, all the well-known companies, and all the people who have become part of the Freya project,” President of France Emmanuel Macron said. His remarks underlined the role of industry in turning the political declaration into a practical defence programme.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the meeting that Europe needs stronger protection against ballistic missile threats. He said Ukraine is ready to provide the anti-ballistic missile for the system while other countries and companies can contribute radars and other key components.
“We are now finalizing it. Others have radars and other critical components. So it is important that we truly join forces. I’m grateful to the companies for their readiness to work together. Today, at the level of leaders, it is very important to confirm politically that Freya is our common project,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president said existing anti-ballistic capabilities are not sufficient to meet current threats. He noted that the United States is working to increase Patriot production, while Europe is expanding production of SAMP/T, IRIS-T and NASAMS systems.
“Russia is making its final bet on ballistic missile strikes against cities and villages – to break our people and stop Ukraine from defending itself. The Iranian regime fights in the same way. Russia’s and North Korean cooperation has led to improvement of North Korean missiles,” Zelenskyy added.
Zelenskyy said Europe has the potential to become a global producer of high-quality anti-ballistic systems without political dependence. He said such a capability would allow Europeans to decide how many systems are needed and where they should be deployed.
“Europeans themselves will be able to decide how many systems Europe needs and where they should be deployed. This would create a strategically new situation. Each European system will add its own strengths and give different parts of Europe a strategic foundation for protection,” Zelenskyy said.
The meeting also highlighted Ukraine’s operational experience in defending against ballistic missile attacks. Participants stressed the need to move quickly to advance European anti-ballistic capabilities and create modern responses to missile threats.
Zelenskyy said he hopes to see Freya operating within the next 12 months. The programme is intended to combine Ukraine’s experience with Europe’s defence industrial base, research capacity and production capabilities.
