Ukraine Is Racing to Build FREYJA—Zelenskyy Reveals When the Anti-Ballistic System Should Be Ready

Ukraine expects the first FREYJA anti-ballistic defense system to be ready by the end of 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on September 10, as Kyiv accelerates development of a homegrown shield against ballistic missile threats with support from a growing group of international partners.

Speaking to journalists in Canada, Zelenskyy said Ottawa would join the FREYJA program following discussions with the Canadian prime minister.

“We are working on FREYJA, and we are very glad that today we had an opportunity to discuss it with the prime minister, and Canada will join this program. This will be our new anti-ballistic system. Companies told us that they need 20–30 years for a new ballistic system. I said that we do not want such a long war, ” Zelenskyy said.

The President stated that with the current technological level in Ukraine and Europe, the first system can be made much faster.

“Absolutely. No, that belongs to another world, to the 20th century. Today we have new technologies and a new Ukraine, and we can do all of this faster. And we expect that by the end of this year we will have the first system,” Zelenskyy added.

The FREYJA program has also been discussed with Norway and is expected to feature in further talks in New York, where Kyiv hopes to establish a clearer timeline for the next stages of development.

“And we also expect that in New York we will have a clearer understanding of the timeline for all of our steps, because this is about defense,” Zelenskyy said.

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War in Ukraine

Project FREYJA: Europe Is Building Its Own Missile Shield Against Russia’s Ballistic Threat

Jul 15, 2026 12:02

Zelenskyy mentioned earlier that 10 countries had already joined the FREYJA initiative, with additional partners expected to join. Canada will join the growing coalition that brings together Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.

The project, developed by Fire Point, brings together leading European defense companies, including Kongsberg, Weibel, Saab, Fire Point, Diehl Defence, Hensoldt, Thales, Safran, Sener and Leonardo.

The goal is to give Ukraine and Europe a new domestically anchored anti-ballistic capability at a time when Russian ballistic missiles remain among the hardest threats for Ukrainian air defenses to intercept.

Previously, Ukrainian defense company Fire Point moved its FP-7 ballistic missile into military trials after completing two earlier testing stages, bringing the weapon potentially within weeks of operational use.

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