The European Union, together with Ukraine, is working on the FREYJA anti-ballistic system project and is also considering Ukraine’s new request for funding to purchase interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated this during a joint press appearance with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, UNN reports.
"Today I can confirm that we have received a new payment request. It amounts to several billion euros and should cover the costs of Ukraine’s air defense, including the highly advanced PAC-3 Patriot air defense systems," von der Leyen said.
She separately emphasized that the EU, together with Ukraine, is working on implementing the FREYJA anti-ballistic project.
"At the same time, here in Europe we are working on the FREYJA project with Ukraine. This is a European project to create our own missile defense system," von der Leyen said.
The President of the European Commission added that all of this complements financial support for Ukraine, in particular a loan of 90 billion euros. According to her, since June, 8.5 billion euros has been allocated for drones and missiles for Ukraine.
What is FREYJA
FREYJA is a Ukraine-initiated project for a joint European anti-ballistic system, the first track of the Anti-Ballistic Coalition, which includes 10 countries and more than a dozen leading European defense companies. The system is intended to intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
The project is being built around the Ukrainian FP-7.x interceptor missile developed by Fire Point, while other components are supplied by European manufacturers. As UNN reported, Fire Point’s Chief Executive and Technical Officer Iryna Terekh said that development had reached the stage of technical integration of the entire ecosystem — radars, a launcher, a data transmission channel, and a command center — and that tests are being conducted up to twice a week. The first interception of a ballistic target by the system is scheduled for 2027.
Reminder
Earlier, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that implementing the FREYJA anti-ballistic project is an unconditional priority for Ukraine, as the system will protect not only Ukrainian but also European skies from ballistic threats.