France is moving to substantially reinforce Ukraine's air defences ahead of what Kyiv expects to be another brutal winter of Russian missile and drone strikes on its energy grid, with a new contract for radars and interceptor missiles signed after President Emmanuel Macron met Volodymyr Zelensky in New York.
Radars and interceptors first
The contract, announced by Macron after the New York meeting, covers new radars and interceptor missiles, though Paris has not disclosed the radar types, quantities or delivery dates. It is explicitly framed as winter support: Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Macron warned, threaten to leave millions of families without heating and electricity, and a G7 energy support format is expected to join the French effort.
Macron also discussed with Donald Trump the prospect of an energy truce and a Black Sea moratorium, both of which Paris supports — making the package part of a broader diplomatic push to shield Ukraine's power grid before winter.
It builds on commitments already in motion: France and Italy have agreed to accelerate previously scheduled Aster 30 interceptor deliveries, with the first batches expected by October — Rome prepared to draw the initial batch from its own stocks — and both countries have authorised licensed production of the interceptors inside Ukraine to build volume faster.
Next-generation batteries: Ukraine to be the first combat user
Zelensky confirmed Ukraine is ready to acquire additional SAMP/T systems and missiles, financed through the EU's Ukraine support loan, with work underway on producing such systems and missiles domestically.
According to the RFU channel's account of the emerging package, Ukraine's army intends to order four next-generation SAMP batteries, while France will temporarily deploy two of its existing SAMP/T systems until the new production lines are running. In its French configuration the SAMP/T NG carries the Thales Ground Fire 300 radar with full 360-degree coverage and can engage aircraft, drones and cruise missiles, with enhanced capability against tactical ballistic missiles. Ukraine is scheduled to become the system's first combat user, with full deployment progressively from 2027 and one Ground Fire 300 radar expected before the end of this year. Italy is separately reported to be preparing four SAMP/T NG batteries, Aster 30 missiles and seven long-range radars for Ukraine by the end of 2026.
The "Freya" plan: a European anti-ballistic shield
Beyond the French deliveries, the RFU report describes a longer-term joint European anti-ballistic initiative known as "Freya", presented in Paris in July with ten founding countries forming an Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition. Under the concept, Ukraine would develop and manufacture the interceptor missile and launcher while European partners contribute radars, sensors and other technologies — France connecting Ukrainian developers with French defence firms and procurement-agency expertise, focused on radar.
Rather than buying another off-the-shelf Western system, Kyiv wants to co-build a new interceptor architecture around European industry. Ukrainian officials met executives from several European defence companies in Oslo just days ago, and Zelensky expects the programme's first results before the end of 2026 — an unusually rapid timeline driven by the winter deadline.
A layered defence for a layered threat
Ukraine's air-defence network is among the world's most diverse, with Soviet-era systems alongside Patriot and SAMP/T batteries while mobile guns and interceptor drones engage cheaper targets. Russia mixes Shahed-type drones, increasingly advanced long-range drones, cruise missiles and ballistic weapons in its strikes, forcing Ukraine to match each threat with the most economical interceptor rather than waste expensive missiles on cheap drones.
France's approach — more radars, more interceptors, next-generation batteries and licensed domestic production — is designed to strengthen every layer at once and cut long-term dependence on foreign inventories. Execution remains the risk, with SAMP/T production, licensed Aster manufacturing and Freya development all being accelerated at once. But with Russia's air war against Ukrainian cities and power stations only intensifying, Kyiv has little choice but to move fast — and Paris has now put its industrial and diplomatic weight behind that effort.
Watch our latest video coverage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sla6NK9PJDY
