Zelenskyy says many countries oppose Ukraine’s ballistic missiles and explains why
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (photo: Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that a number of countries around the world are not interested in the development of Ukrainian ballistic and anti-ballistic technologies. One of the reasons is competition in the global arms market, says the head of state in an interview with the Yedyni Novyny telethon.
"Many do not want Ukraine to have its own ballistic missiles. Russia is certainly number one. But even in the world, there are not many people and companies that would want such a competitor," Zelenskyy said.
The president noted that Ukraine's development of its own ballistic missile or anti-ballistic system would mean the emergence of a new powerful player in the arms market.
According to him, there are currently only a few companies in Europe that produce powerful air defense systems. Among them, Zelenskyy mentioned NASAMS, produced by Norway and the United States, Germany's IRIS-T, and SAMP/T, developed by France and Italy with a US partnership.
"Basically, these systems I am naming — these companies with a long history, they are very strong companies — there are two, three, four of them on the entire European continent. And then Ukraine appears," the head of state explained.
At the same time, Zelenskyy emphasized that this is not about partners abandoning their support for Ukraine. According to him, in international relations, in addition to political interests and shared values, there are also economic and business interests.
"There is also money, there is business. So everything has to be fought for, and everything has to be won," the president concluded.
Ukraine's FP-7 ballistic missile is currently undergoing certification by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The FP-7 missile has a strike modification that can be used to engage ground targets.
Regarding anti-ballistic systems, the Ukrainian company Fire Point has announced the timeline for the first interception of a ballistic missile under the Freyja project and has provided an update on the current stage of development.
