Ten European nations, including Ukraine, announced the formation of a coalition to develop a joint anti ballistic missile system. Leaders from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom met in Paris in July 2026 during the broader summit for the Coalition of the Willing, an alliance of nations pledged to support Ukraine.
Russia’s recent attacks have severely depleted the munitions that Ukraine needs to intercept ballistic missiles, according to Reuters. The new effort, called the Integrated Anti Ballistic Missile Coalition, responds to the shrinking availability of interceptors on the global defense market, according to news website Breaking Defense. It also aligns with U.S. calls for Europe to shoulder greater responsibility for the continent’s security.
“We believe that the protection of Europe requires a global solution of integrated missile defence architecture to deter and defeat future missile threats,” the leaders said in a joint statement. The initiative is meant to complement existing missile defense systems, including “sovereign European solutions already acquired, or to be acquired by participating countries,” the statement added. The coalition also said that membership will remain open to nations that share its principles and objectives.
The meeting, which included some of Europe’s leading defense companies, also addressed ways to source U.S. Patriot interceptors and advanced deployment of the Franco Italian SAMP T air defense system, according to Reuters. The U.S. government said at the recent NATO summit in Türkiye that it will allow Ukraine to produce Patriots. France’s President Emmanuel Macron also said his country would allow Ukraine to produce the interceptor for the SAMP T system, which it already operates.
The program will begin by focusing on common operational requirements, forming joint technical working groups and planning for initial capabilities. “It will also help our defense industries in Europe work even more closely together and learn from one another,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, according to Reuters.
While the coalition’s declaration does not cite a specific threat, it does “acknowledge the unique experience of Ukraine, gained in defense against Russia’s war of aggression,” according to Breaking Defense. At the NATO Summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Russia’s ability to deploy ballistic missiles at scale as “its last major advantage” and a challenge to Europe’s security.
The Coalition of the Willing is also working toward establishing common positions that could be presented to Russia, along with security guarantees to support any eventual peace deal, Breaking Defense reported.
The coalition’s initial production efforts will center on the Freyja anti ballistic system, developed by the Ukrainian company Fire Point and based on its FP 7X interceptor, according to Reuters. Ukraine can provide the system, while European companies could furnish command and control systems, radars and other components, Zelenskyy said. The goal is to make the system operational within the next 12 months. Freyja aims to strengthen Europe’s defenses, covering the continent with a missile shield quickly and at a lower cost, Zelenskyy said. “The more means [that] Ukraine has to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, the greater the chance that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will come to the negotiating table, as his last argument in this war will no longer work,” he said.
The coalition also announced combined military exercises in countries bordering Ukraine as it sought to make the concept of a future multinational force in Ukraine more of a practical reality, according to Reuters.
“Faced with the ballistic threat, we are making a clear choice: protect Ukraine, strengthen our collective security and build the Europe of defence,” Macron wrote on the social media site X.