FREYJA
-
Denmark to guarantee $112.6 million loan for Fire Point rocket-fuel plant on Danish soil
Denmark will provide a state guarantee for a 750 million Danish kroner (~$112.6 million) loan to the Danish subsidiary of Ukrainian defense manufacturer Fire Point, financing a solid rocket-fuel plant in South Jutland scheduled to be operational by the end of 2027. Danish Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus said Denmark is the first country to allow a Ukrainian defense enterprise on its territory, and that locating production abroad helps protect critical supply chains from Russian attacks.
-
Sweden to deploy Patriot air defense system to Rzeszów to protect NATO hub for Ukraine aid
Sweden is deploying a Patriot air defense system to the Polish city of Rzeszów to shield a NATO logistics hub used to deliver military and civilian aid to Ukraine. Around 100 Swedish troops will operate the system under NATO command from early December 2026 through the end of the year, with plans to extend into the first half of 2027. It is Sweden's first deployment of Patriot as part of a NATO mission and replaces the current Dutch rotation in Poland.
-
Zelensky and Macron discuss Rafale pilot training and new defense package in phone call
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone on 5 October. Zelensky announced that Ukrainian pilots will begin training on French Rafale fighter jets in France in the near future, and said a new French defense package is being prepared. The two leaders discussed drone-interception support, joint work on the FREYJA system, and localizing production of French missiles and aerial bombs in Ukraine, agreeing to continue talks at an in-person meeting.
-
Zelensky announces first combat use of Ukrainian-made FP-7 ballistic missile
On 1 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the first combat use of the FP-7, a domestically developed tactical ballistic missile made by Ukrainian defense company Fire Point. He posted a launch video on social media but did not disclose the target, location, or outcome. The Wall Street Journal, citing its own sources, reported the missile was used against a target in Russian-occupied territory, though the success of the strike remains unclear.
-
Zelensky asks NATO's Rutte for 100 Patriot missiles a month as Kyiv endures three waves of ballistic strikes
President Volodymyr Zelensky met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in New York on 24 September 2026 and pressed for Patriot interceptors and a winter air-defense support package, as Kyiv came under three waves of Russian ballistic strikes during the talks. Zelensky set out a quantitative ask of 100 Patriot missiles per month, or 300 for the winter, and said only Patriot interceptors are currently effective against ballistic missiles. He also pointed to progress against cruise missiles and jet-powered Shahed drones, and to a joint European anti-ballistic system called Freyja that could be operational within a year.
-
At UN General Assembly, Zelensky calls Putin 'patient zero' of global war, unveils FREYJA air-defense program, and warns of painful winter for Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, calling Vladimir Putin a "patient zero" spreading war, announcing the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, and disclosing that Russia is using citizens of 47 countries in its war against Ukraine. He detailed Ukrainian strike figures, threatened retaliation against Russian energy infrastructure this winter, and unveiled the FREYJA anti-missile defense program with 10 partner countries. The speech followed a day of high-level diplomacy, including his meeting with US President Donald Trump and a Rubio-Lavrov exchange on a possible energy ceasefire.
-
Von der Leyen announces EU–Ukraine joint missile defense, Patriot procurement and SAFE-funded program in State of the Union
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her 16 September State of the Union address to announce that the EU will jointly develop an affordable modular missile defense system with Ukraine based on the Freyja project, launch a new program for joint projects with Ukrainian defense companies using remaining SAFE funds, and urgently deliver American Patriot interceptor missiles newly procured for Ukraine. She framed the package as the EU's strongest-ever support for Ukraine ahead of what she described as the harshest winter of the war.
-
Ukraine and Canada advance Drone Deal, first with a country on the American continent
President Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney inspected drones in Alberta that will operate under a Ukraine–Canada Drone Deal, with the full agreement expected to be signed at the end of September during the UN General Assembly in New York. Under the deal, Canada is prepared to order large volumes of drones, with 30% of production transferred to Ukraine.
-
Norwegian PM says drone nearly hit Zelensky's plane in Moldova; Ukrainian side calls claim 'exaggerated'
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on September 9 that a drone nearly struck the plane carrying President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as it departed Moldova for Oslo on September 8, where Zelenskyy was to attend the funeral of King Harald V. Norwegian and Ukrainian officials later said the flight was delayed by a Moldovan airspace closure caused by Russian drones, and that it remained unknown how close the drones came to the aircraft. Zelenskyy attended the funeral on September 9 and left Norway shortly afterward.
-
Zelensky says he expects to meet Trump in late September, with missile defense set as main topic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 8 that he expects to meet US President Donald Trump in the 20s of September, with the supply of American anti-ballistic interceptor missiles as the central item. The announcement came the morning after a massive Russian strike on Kyiv in which most ballistic missiles could not be intercepted, and follows a visit to Kyiv and Moscow by US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that yielded a short-lived mutual moratorium on capital strikes.