Oslo [Norway], September 10 (ANI): A plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy narrowly avoided a collision with an unidentified drone while taking off from Moldova en route to Oslo for the funeral of King Harald V.
Speaking to public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre confirmed the alarming incident and highlighted the constant dangers surrounding the Ukrainian leader's movements.
“His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was taking off from Moldova. That is the reality he is facing,” PM told NRK.
The incident has not yet been confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities.
Notably, Zelenskyy safely arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening following his departure from Moldova to join world leaders and international dignitaries for the royal funeral service after meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Clarifying the details of the incident, State Secretary Bhanuja Rasiah at the Prime Minister's Office told NRK that the airspace risk directly impacted the flight's schedule.
"There was a drone threat in the airspace over Moldova yesterday, which delayed Zelenskyy's flight on its way to Oslo. These are threats he lives with every day. It is uncertain how close the drones were to his plane." NRK cited him as saying.
Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg also confirmed that President Zelenskyy personally recounted the chaotic departure shortly after landing in the Norwegian capital.
"He told us about it last night when we had a meeting with him. I don't dare go into the details about it, but he was delayed, and there were some threats against the plane. But I don't know enough about the details to explain anything more," Stoltenberg said.
"There were some problems getting out, but it's never easy to get out of Ukraine. But the most important thing was that he took the time, the effort it took for him to come to the funeral," he added.
Despite the transit hazards, Stoltenberg noted how significant it was to see the wartime president in attendance, stating it is impressive that the Ukrainian president was able to walk side by side with them during King Harald's funeral on Wednesday, NRK reported.
Highlighting his attendance at the funeral, Zelenskyy wrote on X, "We paid our respects to King Harald V. 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 the special attention he paid to Ukraine. He was a monarch who, for over 35 years, embodied Norway – its openness, dignity, and respect for people. Over that time, our bond with Norway has grown especially strong."
Expressing gratitude towards the Norwegian solidarity with Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict, Zelenskyy stated, "We are grateful that Norway has stood with Ukraine all these years. Thank you for the decisions that are helping us protect people and stand firm today."
Additionally, Zelenskyy stated that in Ukraine, the defence forces launched successful long-range strikes against a major Russian naval base, even as Russian drone and missile attacks left multiple civilians dead and wounded across several Ukrainian cities.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces struck key targets deep inside Russian territory, specifically targeting the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar region.
The strikes on Russian infrastructure came as emergency crews were deployed across Ukraine following another wave of fatal Russian drone strikes targeting civilian infrastructure.
The Ukrainian President stated that Russian strikes in Sumy, Kyiv and Mykolaiv have left several people dead and others gravely injured.
Calling on international partners to step up their assistance to halt the ongoing escalation, he wrote, “Right now, it is important for all partners to focus as much as possible and work on the relevant steps toward de-escalation and an end to the killing,”
Zelenskyy noted that he had discussed the situation with representatives from both the US President Donald Trump’s team and European leadership.
His remarks come following talks with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law of Trump, Jared Kushner, in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy had said three rounds of discussions with the US delegation had taken place and described them as substantive, expressing hope that the talks would help revive negotiations and produce a lasting peace agreement.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia welcomes the efforts of US President Donald Trump in trying to bring peace to the region.
Thus, with Russia resuming strikes, peace appears to be far from within reach. (ANI)
Zelenskyy's plane narrowly avoids drone threat en route to Oslo: Norwegian PM
