An aircraft carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from Moldova to Oslo narrowly avoided being struck by a drone, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre revealed on Wednesday. Støre said the incident occurred during take-off from Moldova and described it as an illustration of the conditions Zelensky continues to operate under. The Norwegian leader gave no further details on the drone or the circumstances of the near-miss.
Norwegian PM describes the incident
Speaking to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, Støre said Zelensky's plane "was almost hit by a drone" as it departed Moldova. He added that when he asked Zelensky how his night had been, the Ukrainian president said it had not been good, as he had spent it monitoring where missile strikes had landed. Støre described the situation as extremely dramatic and shocking.
We paid our respects to King Harald V.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 9, 2026
Ukraine will always be grateful to Norway for all its assistance. This support comes not only from the government, but also from the Royal Family and all the people of Norway.
I recall with gratitude our warm meeting with His Majesty and… pic.twitter.com/TuYd4vatSH
Zelensky's visit to Oslo
Zelensky arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening to attend the funeral of Norway's King Harald V. During his visit, he held talks with Støre, Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Norwegian military assistance to Ukraine, with particular focus on air defence and humanitarian aid. Following the funeral, Zelensky departed for Canada to meet with the country's leadership, according to Støre.
No breakthrough yet on air defence support
Støre did not specify the outcome of the discussions on military assistance. He said defence industries were working together to determine whether it would be feasible to supply air defence systems to Ukraine, as well as to find an industrial solution allowing Ukraine to manufacture its own systems. He described Ukraine's current air defence capacity as insufficient, saying, in his words, that "the roof is leaking."
Source: Euronews
