EuropeSeptember 9, 2026 12:56 am • 2 min readFemale members of an honour guard pack a Norwegian flag while lowering it for the night outside the Royal Palace on the eve of the funeral of King Harald V on Sept. 8, 2026 in Oslo, Norway. King Harald V of Norway died in the morning of August 28 at the age of 89. Tomorrow a State Funeral will be held with European royalty and political leaders amongst those paying tribute to the monarch. (Sean Gallup / Getty Images)President Volodymyr Zelensky met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo on Sept. 8 to discuss strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses and advancing the Freyja anti-ballistic missile program."We discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, our need for interceptor missiles, further work on the Freyja anti-ballistic program, and Ukraine’s preparations for winter," Zelensky said following the meeting.Zelensky said he and Store would also meet with representatives of companies involved in developing Freyja, a Ukrainian-led European initiative intended to produce a lower-cost alternative to the U.S.-made Patriot system.Ukraine aims to have a working prototype of Freyja ready in the first half of 2027. The project brings together Ukraine and nine European countries, including Norway, as well as several European defense manufacturers.Zelensky arrived in Norway with First Lady Olena Zelenska ahead of the Sept. 9 funeral of King Harald V.The president expressed condolences to Store over the monarch’s death and thanked Norway’s royal family and people for their support of Ukraine."Ukraine greatly appreciates all the support from the royal family and the entire Norwegian people," Zelensky said.King Harald V died on Aug. 28 at Oslo University Hospital at the age of 89. Europe’s oldest reigning monarch at the time of his death, he had ruled Norway since 1991. His son automatically succeeded him as King Haakon VIII.Zelensky and other international leaders are expected to attend the funeral ceremony in Oslo on Sept. 9.