President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu arrived in Kyiv on January 25 at the invitation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The main topic of the talks was energy.
This was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine.
The two leaders emphasized the importance of relations between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and agreed to strengthen cooperation on initiatives that will strengthen the partnership between the two countries.
“Energy resources are exactly the kind of weapon Russia uses to influence the politics of other countries through crises, especially price crises. Right now, Russia is holding hostage, so to speak, the entire Transnistria, the Transnistrian region of Moldova, and it has provoked a jump in electricity prices in most of Moldova. And we all see this. This is not just a problem that can and should be solved – it would not have happened at all if Moscow did not want to influence the elections in Moldova. Ukraine offers Moldova to fix this situation together,” Zelenskiy wrote.
The main focus of the meeting was on energy security. Ukraine and Moldova agreed on steps to diversify energy sources, strengthen infrastructure and ensure stable energy supply.
“The parties condemned the deliberate cessation of gas supplies to the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova by the Russian Federation, which caused a humanitarian crisis. The parties reaffirmed their commitment and ability to provide urgent and concrete solutions to meet the energy needs of the inhabitants of the Transnistrian region, prevent further escalation of the crisis and restore basic services,” the statement said.
The parties also discussed Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, which not only violate international law but also endanger Moldovan citizens by violating the country’s airspace.
In addition, the parties expressed support for the idea of establishing an international tribunal to bring Russia to justice for its aggression and agreed to continue cooperation to overcome common hybrid threats and disinformation.