Norway clarifies PM's statement on possible threat to Zelensky's plane
Norwegian government officials say a drone incident over Moldova delayed Zelensky's flight to Oslo, but it remains unclear whether his plane faced a direct threat.
A state secretary at the Norwegian prime minister's office responded to reporters' questions by clarifying earlier remarks from PM Jonas Gahr Støre about a drone incident over Moldova that affected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's flight to Oslo. According to the official, the drone incident in Moldovan airspace delayed Zelensky's departure, but it is not known how close the drones actually came to his aircraft or whether there was a direct threat to it. The official noted that such threats are something Zelensky deals with daily.
Norway's finance minister, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, said Norwegian officials learned of the incident from Zelensky himself during a meeting on the evening of September 8. Stoltenberg said Zelensky told them about the delay and possible threats to the plane, but acknowledged he did not know enough details to elaborate further.
Context
Earlier, PM Støre had stated that a drone "nearly hit" the plane carrying the Ukrainian president and first lady as it took off from Moldova for Oslo. Around the time Zelensky's plane departed Chisinau, Moldova partially closed its airspace due to a Russian-origin drone that had entered the country. There were no reports of damage near Chisinau airport. Moldova's Defense Ministry said the drone was likely a Shahed-type; the airspace violation occurred around 16:20 local time, and a drone was later reported to have crashed in a field. That same day, Romania scrambled fighter jets over a suspected airspace violation and temporarily halted operations at Iași airport.
