Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the aircraft carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was almost hit by a drone while departing Moldova. Støre made the remarks to the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
On September 9, Ukraine and Moldova dismissed the alleged threat to Zelenskyy‘s plane as exaggerated. A source in the Office of the President of Ukraine told AFP that Moldova issued an air‑raid alert after a Russian drone entered the airspace of both Moldova and Romania.
Why Moldova closed its airspace
Moldovan government spokesperson Dumitru Chiorici said the airspace was closed after 16:30 local time on September 8 because a Russian drone entered from the direction of Ukraine. The closure delayed three departures and four arrivals.
At 17:20 authorities confirmed the drone had crashed and exploded about 160 kilometers from Chisinau International Airport, after which the restrictions were lifted.
According to Chiorici, the temporary ban caused the flight carrying President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to leave later than planned.
Zelenskyy’s visit to Norway
Zelenskyy arrived in Oslo on the evening of September 8 and met Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Finance Jens Stoltenberg and Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. The discussion focused on Norwegian military assistance, including air‑defence support, as well as civilian aid.
On September 9, Zelenskyy attended a ceremony for King Harald V of Norway, who remains the reigning monarch.
As Støre noted in his comments to NRK, Zelenskyy then departed Norway for Canada to hold talks with Canadian leaders.
Source: The Straits Times
