Dutch PM Jetten says Europe will supply air‑defence systems to Ukraine within a year

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced that a newly formed European anti‑ballistic missile coalition plans to provide Ukraine with new air‑defence systems within the next year, with more complex solutions ready in about 1½ years. The coalition, comprising nine European nations – the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Spain – will develop indigenous technology that Jetten described as more efficient and cheaper than many U.S. systems.

The Netherlands will work alongside Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Sweden, with Dutch defence firm Destinus participating in production. The first priority is to strengthen protection of Ukrainian airspace, which currently relies heavily on scarce U.S. Patriot missiles, before extending coverage to European skies. The initiative comes as Russia continues daily ballistic‑missile attacks on Ukraine, prompting the coalition to create a European alternative to existing U.S. systems.