Ukrainian president, after trilateral meeting in Chisinau, says Moldova, Ukraine, Romania natural allies

The Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Romania must strengthen their cooperation in the areas of security, infrastructure, economy and logistics, because the three states are natural allies. President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky today made statements to this effect, after the trilateral meeting with President Maia Sandu and President of Romania Nicusor Dan, who are in Chișinău on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Moldova.

Zelensky appreciated that the three heads of state gathered in Chișinău on the day when the Republic of Moldova celebrates its Independence, just a few days after Ukraine had also marked its Independence Day.

“It is very important that we are always together exactly as we are today. Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, on the Independence Day of the Republic of Moldova, just a few days after we celebrated Ukraine’s Independence Day,” the Ukrainian president said.

He recalled that Maia Sandu had recently visited Kyiv to convey Moldova’s support for Ukraine and said that his visit to Chișinău is, in turn, a message of support for the Independence of the Republic of Moldova.

“A few days ago, Maia was in our capital, supporting our country, supporting our independence. I am deeply grateful for this visit, and today we have also come to support the independence of the Republic of Moldova. And, of course, all this is more than just a symbolic gesture,” Zelensky said.

The President of Ukraine spoke in direct terms about the security challenges facing the states in the region, especially in the context of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine.

Zelensky stressed that, for states located in the vicinity of Russia, close cooperation with the countries of the region is an important condition for security and development.

“When you are a neighbor of Russia, you must be able to cooperate as closely as possible with all neighbors, with all nations. This is an absolutely key precondition for achieving the highest possible security and for being able to develop our countries as well as possible,” the Kyiv leader said.

He noted that both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova have gone through experiences that have tested their independence and security.

“Unfortunately, all our people have faced these attempts against our independence because of Moscow,” Zelensky said.

According to the Ukrainian president, the lessons of recent years must be turned into concrete actions to protect the independence and freedom of states.

“From now on, we will ensure our independence, our freedom, we will maintain our ability to develop our countries, to build our own lives in the way we want,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader thanked the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and Romania for the support they had provided Ukraine throughout the war.

“I am very grateful to all the citizens of Moldova and Romania for the fact that they have constantly supported us, for the fact that they have supported Ukraine, that they have sincerely supported our citizens at every moment of the war that was launched,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.

At the same time, the Ukrainian president drew attention to the intensity of Russian attacks and their impact on the population.

He gave the example of Kyiv, where, according to his statements, in the last 24 hours there were 11 air-raid alerts triggered by Shahed-type drones and ballistic missiles.

“I can tell you that for our citizens, unfortunately, these air-raid alerts, these attacks with ballistic missiles have become something constant. We all realize how abnormal Russia is,” Zelensky said.

In the context, the Kyiv leader called for intensified cooperation among the three states, so that any potential threats can be countered through coordinated action.

“For this reason, we must be able to help one another, to help in such a way that any, absolutely any attempt, any threat against us is met appropriately,” the Ukrainian president said.

He said that Ukraine is working to strengthen its infrastructure, economic potential and national security and considers cooperation with neighboring states important for increasing regional resilience.

“It is very important that absolutely everything that can truly contribute to the resilience of our states should happen, should be put into action,” Zelensky underlined.

The President of Ukraine welcomed the agreements already concluded between the governments of the three states and their willingness to continue cooperation, including for the protection of infrastructure and logistical routes.

One of the main messages conveyed by Zelensky after the trilateral meeting was the need to strengthen cooperation between Chișinău, Bucharest and Kyiv.

“Moldova, Ukraine and Romania are natural allies, allies in all logistics chains, in many fields, and we must continue to strengthen this alliance, because it is precisely this alliance that makes us stronger,” the President of Ukraine said.

According to him, Ukraine is ready to contribute to strengthening the security capabilities of neighboring states.

“Ukraine is ready to contribute to the development of the security capacities of its neighbors, of Romania and Moldova, and we expect to continue to take joint steps, in order to deliver even more results in this regard,” Zelensky said.

He added that, in parallel, the three states must coordinate their efforts on the path of European integration.

Another important topic addressed by Zelensky was European integration. The Ukrainian president emphasized that Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova share the same strategic objective – accession to the European Union.

“Each time we will coordinate our efforts on our path to European integration. It is very important to do this, because we share exactly the same goals,” he said.

Zelensky said that Ukraine wants to become a member of the European Union and thanked neighboring states for their support in this process.

Our goal is to get membership in the European Union, and we are very grateful to our neighbors for providing us with all their support,” the Ukrainian leader said.

In his opinion, cooperation among the three countries will continue also within the framework of the European integration process.

“Without any doubt, we will find ourselves together in the European Union. We understand that this is our common aspiration,” Zelensky said.

The President of Ukraine called for achieving as many rapid and concrete results as possible in the accession process and reaffirmed the need to strengthen cooperation for peace, security and independence.

“We expect to achieve as many rapid and very concrete results as possible on our path to accession. We will continue to consolidate all efforts for peace, security and independence. Many years to the Republic of Moldova,” Volodymyr Zelensky concluded.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is paying an official visit to Chișinău today, in the context of the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Moldova. The Ukrainian leader was welcomed at the Presidency by the head of state, Maia Sandu.

After the official welcoming ceremony, a trilateral meeting of the heads of state of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine took place at the Presidency. The meeting was dedicated to strengthening cooperation among the three states, and afterwards the three presidents gave press statements.

In the evening, Maia Sandu, Nicusor Dan and Volodymyr Zelensky went go to the Great National Assembly Square, where a concert dedicated to the Independence Day of the Republic of Moldova is being held. After 9:00 p.m., the three officials addressed the citizens.