Technical-Military agreement with Ukraine: Moldovan defense minister debunks false claims, explains under what conditions document to be published

Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii has rejected the false claims circulating in the public space regarding the technical-military cooperation agreement signed with Ukraine. The official explained that the document did not provide for Moldova’s involvement in the war, does not allow the deployment of foreign troops on the country’s territory and does not violate its neutral status. The full text of the agreement will be made public after it is signed by the sides and submitted for ratification to parliament, in accordance with legal procedures. The minister made statements to this effect at the Cabinetul din umbră (Shadow Cabinet) programme on JurnalTV channel.

The minister specified that the agreement was a framework document consisting of 12 chapters, contains no secret provisions and aims to develop cooperation in the technical-military field, including through the exchange of information, experience and technologies.

“I would read Article 3 of the agreement, which reads that that cooperation is exclusively consultative in nature and involves the analysis and exchange of technical and scientific information, specialized documentation, best practices and professional experience. Article 2 reads that actions carried out in the context of implementing this agreement may not be interpreted as an agreement to provide direct military assistance to either state involved in a conflict,” the minister said.

According to him, the agreement covers 16 areas of cooperation, including the modernization, repair and maintenance of military equipment, logistics, material resource management, the training of specialists, the protection of critical infrastructure and the development of cyber defense capabilities.

Another important area concerns the development and implementation of technologies for monitoring and protecting airspace, in the context of the security risks facing Moldova.

“This would mean that we could learn from the practices Ukraine uses to protect its critical infrastructure and people. We would have access to the products they are now selling to other countries. Drones and other systems—it is not only about drones. This is important, but it is not stipulated that factories or anything else will be built,” the official noted.

The minister also turned down claims that the agreement would allow damaged Ukrainian military equipment to be brought to the territory of Moldova for repairs.

“This agreement does not provide for that, and such a thing cannot happen in our country, because our neutral status does not allow it. We respect the laws of the Republic of Moldova and the Constitution,” Nosatii said.

In this regard, the official referred to Article 4 of the agreement, which stipulates that the implementation of the document does not affect the neutral status of the Republic of Moldova, as enshrined in the Constitution.

“Point 2 reads that no activity carried out under this agreement will contribute directly or indirectly to the conduct of military operations as part of an armed conflict. Point 3 reads that the results of the cooperation will not be used for operational or offensive military purposes. And Point 4: this agreement may not be interpreted as permitting the deployment of foreign military troops on the territory of Moldova,” the minister specified.

Nosatii emphasized that the agreement cannot be interpreted as a violation of the country’s neutrality and noted that the illegal stationing of Russian military forces on the territory of Moldova constitutes a violation of this status.

“Presently, the only state violating our neutrality, including Article 11.2, which prohibits permanent stationing on the territory of Moldova, is the Russian Federation, through the illegal deployment of its forces on the left bank of Moldova. So, there is nothing secret. Only after the required procedure, will the full agreement be made public and submitted to parliament for approval, in accordance with the legislation in force,” Nosatii said.

The minister also said that the document cannot be made public before the legal procedures are completed, as international agreements are processed in accordance with Law No. 595 of 1999 on the international treaties of Moldova.

“Agreements are not public until they have been signed by the parties and submitted for ratification. In our case, once the signed agreement is received by the government through the Foreign Affairs Ministry, we will promote it as a law for ratification in parliament and, accordingly, once it is registered, it becomes public. So, they will have access to it then,” the minister said.

The official also said that the document had been discussed in last March in the parliamentary commission, attended by representatives of both the ruling party and the opposition, who had access to the text of the agreement.

The technical-military cooperation agreement with Ukraine was negotiated by the defense institutions of the two states between 2019 and 2021. According to the minister, the document reached parliament in 2021 and was examined by the foreign policy commission, after which it was sent to the government to advance the negotiations. In 2025, the sides agreed to revisit the issue and sign the agreement, amid the need to develop Moldova’s defense capabilities and exchange experience in the security field.