Ankara: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's aircraft narrowly avoided a collision with a drone during its departure from Moldova, according to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. The incident occurred as Zelenskyy was en route to Norway, Store revealed on Wednesday.

According to Anadolu Agency, Store emphasized the precarious situation faced by Zelenskyy, stating, "His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was taking off from Moldova." The Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported these remarks, highlighting the challenges faced by the Ukrainian leader.

Zelenskyy reached Oslo from Moldova on Tuesday evening to participate in the funeral of King Harald V of Norway. During his visit, he engaged in discussions with Store and other Norwegian officials concerning the ongoing war in Ukraine and Kyiv's need for enhanced air defense capabilities.

Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, present at a meeting with Zelenskyy, corroborated the account of the departure issues from Moldova. Stoltenberg, formerly NATO's chief when the conflict in Ukraine commenced, mentioned, "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."

The topic of additional air defense for Ukraine was central to Zelenskyy's discussions with Norwegian authorities, as confirmed by Store. He indicated that Norwegian and Ukrainian industries are collaborating to explore the feasibility of providing further air defense support to Ukraine and the potential for Ukraine to produce its own air defense systems through industrial partnerships.