EU Commission president says Freya only beginning of aid to Ukraine

The European Union is funding the purchase of US-made interceptor missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot air defence systems and plans to jointly develop a modular missile defence system with Kyiv based on the Freya project, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said, noting that this is only the beginning.

Speaking in her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament on September 16, she noted that they will further strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“Last week, we approved the purchase of American Patriot interceptor missiles for the first time. They now need to be delivered urgently,” von der Leyen stressed.

According to von der Leyen, the EU and Ukraine also need to reduce their dependence on a single supplier.

To this end, the sides plan to jointly develop an affordable modular missile defence system. The Freya project will serve as the basis, bringing together Ukraine’s expertise, European technologies and production capacity.

Von der Leyen stated that that using the remaining funds from the SAFE programme, the EU plans to launch a new programme of joint projects with Ukrainian companies.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov