In Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of Moldova Maia Sandu. The discussion focused on security, cross-border cooperation, energy, infrastructure development, intergovernmental work, and the joint path toward the European Union.
The Head of State emphasized that the President of Moldova is visiting Ukraine on the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia has drawn no conclusions from the catastrophe at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and continues to pose threats to Ukraine’s energy sector and environment.
“That is why all of us – all neighbors of Russia, all Europeans – must be as united as possible, act in a coordinated manner, and understand that our interests are shared: security, economic, energy, and all others. What Russia is doing, the way it is waging this war, the war, terror, and instability Russia is bringing to other nations is a catastrophe, truly no less severe than the Chornobyl disaster,” the President said.
Maia Sandu stressed that Moldova supports Ukraine in its struggle to defend its sovereignty and independence.
“We welcome the EU’s decision to provide a €90 billion loan to Ukraine and the new package of sanctions against Russia. We must ensure maximum support for Ukraine, which is fighting for the highest democratic values while confronting the aggressor. We must increase support for Ukraine and put greater pressure on Russia,” the President of Moldova said.
Maia Sandu also emphasized the importance of moving to the implementation of the agreement on establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed security, cross-border cooperation, protection and development of infrastructure and energy sector. Special attention was given to the joint path toward the European Union.
“Both of our states deserve to be part of a strong, united Europe. Ukraine has always defended Moldova’s right to be part of the European Union, and in the past, we took significant steps to ensure that both of our countries obtained candidate status. We are now working to ensure that all clusters are opened as soon as possible and that EU membership becomes our shared success – for Ukraine, Moldova, and the entire European Union,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
The President emphasized that Ukraine will continue to support Moldova on security issues, particularly regarding the Transnistrian region.
According to the Head of State, Ukraine and Moldova are also ready to develop trilateral formats of cooperation together with Romania.
“We are doing important things together in infrastructure. This includes transport routes, particularly transit, as well as our energy sector, specifically cross-border power transmission lines. And the more real connections there are between our energy systems, the greater the protection will be for the lives of our people, our nations,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.
