Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has said a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from Moldova to Oslo was almost hit by a drone.
Zelenskyy, whose country has been fighting Russia’s invasion since February 2022, arrived in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday evening to attend the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V.
“His flight was almost hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova,” Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. “That is the reality he lives in.”
Store did not provide details about the source of the information or how close the drone came to Zelenskyy’s aircraft.
Later on Wednesday, a Moldovan government spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying it took place on Tuesday before Zelenskyy’s aircraft took off and involved a Russian drone, according to Reuters.
The spokesperson said the aircraft’s departure was delayed after Moldovan authorities closed the country’s airspace following a drone alert. Zelenskyy’s plane was cleared to take off after authorities established that the drone had come down on Moldovan territory.
The incident came as Zelenskyy travelled to Oslo, where he met Store for talks and also held discussions with defence industry executives.
During his visit, Zelenskyy and Store met defence industry representatives to discuss advancing a European anti-ballistic system codenamed FREYJA.
In a social media post, Zelenskyy said the discussions focused on dividing responsibilities between governments and defence companies and agreeing on the steps required to deliver the programme’s first practical results.
“We expect to see the first practical results. I am grateful to Norway for hosting this meeting. I thank our partners for their readiness to work together. Protecting Europe’s skies is our shared responsibility,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president’s visit came as fighting continued in his country, with Ukrainian regional officials reporting that at least eight people were killed in Russian attacks on Wednesday.
The casualties were reported from areas including the Ukraine-Moldova border and southeastern Ukraine.
