Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday that European nations must develop their own ballistic missile defense network, revealing that his administration has already begun discussions with multiple countries about establishing such a system.
Speaking on Ukraine’s national television channel Marathon, Zelenskyy emphasized the critical need for enhanced missile defense capabilities as his country continues to face Russian ballistic missile strikes targeting energy infrastructure and power systems.
“I believe, and my idea is that we should have a European anti-ballistic missile defense system. We are in talks with several countries and are working in this direction,” Zelenskyy stated during the televised interview.
The Ukrainian leader set an ambitious timeline for the project, declaring: “We need to build our own anti-ballistic missile defense system within a year.”
Zelenskyy acknowledged the enormous scope of the undertaking while expressing confidence in its feasibility, noting that he has already engaged in conversations with major European nations about the initiative, though he declined to identify which countries are involved.
Currently, Ukraine faces significant limitations in defending against Russian ballistic weapons, as only specific missile types deployed by the U.S.-made Patriot defense system can effectively intercept these threats. Russia has consistently targeted Ukraine’s electrical grid and thermal power facilities with ballistic missile attacks.
The push for a European-made defense system comes as Patriot missiles become increasingly scarce due to their widespread use in Gulf region operations against Iranian strikes. Additionally, Europe’s sole existing anti-ballistic system, the Italian-French SAMP/T, has limited production capacity.
Supporting this defense initiative, Fire Point, the Ukrainian company behind the Flamingo cruise missile, revealed earlier this month that it is negotiating with European firms to introduce a new air defense platform by next year, potentially offering a more affordable alternative to the costly and increasingly unavailable Patriot systems.
