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Moldova–Ukraine relations are the
bilateral Bilateral may refer to any concept including two sides, in particular: *Bilateria, bilateral animals *Bilateralism, the political and cultural relations between two states *Bilateral, occurring on both sides of an organism ( Anatomical terms of l ...
/ diplomatic/
foreign Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...
relations between the
sovereign states A sovereign state is a State (polity), state that has the highest authority over a territory. It is commonly understood that Sovereignty#Sovereignty and independence, a sovereign state is independent. When referring to a specific polity, the ter ...
of
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
and
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. The
Moldova–Ukraine border The Moldova–Ukraine border, the official border between Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, was established after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The length of the inland border is , of which is fluvial (i.e., along rivers) and is land borde ...
is 985 kilometers (612 miles).
Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...
are the third largest ethnic group in Moldova, behind
Moldovans Moldovans, sometimes referred to as Moldavians (, , ), are an ethnic group native to Moldova, who mostly speak the Romanian language, also referred to locally as Moldovan language, Moldovan. Moldovans form significant communities in Romania, It ...
and
Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...
. Both countries were former republics of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and are also the poorest countries in Europe. Both countries have applied for membership to join the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
in 2022.


History


Early contacts

Close cooperation between the
Central Rada The Central Rada of Ukraine, also called the Central Council (), was the All-Ukrainian council that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputies as well as few members of political, public, cultural and professional organizations o ...
of the
Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...
and the
Sfatul Țării ''Sfatul Țării'' ("Council of the Country"; ) was a council of political, public, cultural, and professional organizations in the guberniya, Governorate of Bessarabia in Russian Empire, Tsarist Russia. This became a legislative body which e ...
of the
Moldavian Democratic Republic The Moldavian Democratic Republic (MDR; , ), also known as the Moldavian Republic or Moldavian People's Republic, was a state proclaimed on by the ''Sfatul Țării'' (National Council) of Bessarabia, elected in October–November 1917 foll ...
in November–December 1917 was evidenced by the fact that the first meeting of the Moldovan Parliament was held on November 21, 1917 in Chisinau under the protection of "national Moldavian and Ukrainian troops." After the declaration of the independent Ukrainian People's Republic, its government, defining the state borders, paid special attention to that with Moldova.


Soviet era

Ukrainian-Moldovan scientific relations reached a new level after the creation in 1946 of the
Academy of Sciences of Moldova The Academy of Sciences of Moldova (), established in 1961, is the main scientific organization of Moldova and coordinates research in all areas of science and technology. Ion Tighineanu has been the head of the Academy of Sciences since April 9 ...
, as it was during this period that the connection between the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, allowed for the strengthening of Moldovan-Ukrainian cultural and scientific ties. In the 1980s, the efforts of Moldovan and Ukrainian ethnologists prepared the scientific collection "Ukrainian-Moldovan Relations in the Period of Socialism", which included developments in the history of Moldovans in Ukraine and Ukrainians in Moldova.


Post-independence

Ukraine recognized the independence of the Republic of Moldova on December 21, 1991. Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine were established on March 10, 1992. The first official visit of the President
Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (, ; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician and the first president of Ukraine, serving from 5 December 1991 until 19 July 1994. In 1992, he signed the Lisbon Protocol, undertaking to give up Ukrai ...
to Moldova took place on October 23, 1992. During the visit of the "Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova" was signed. In 2001, the two countries founded the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM), along with
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
.


21st century and Transnistria conflict

Ukraine, step by step after 2005, conceded several important economic privileges to Moldova.
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
accepted gas delivery to Moldova for the account of the Ukrainian share in the beginning of 2006 and electricity delivery at low tariffs. Ukraine has also accepted the introduction of the monitoring commission of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
at the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, as well as implementation of the unified
customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...
procedure for the
Transnistria Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
n part of the Moldovan border. Ukraine opened its alcohol market for Moldovan production when Russia imposed a ban on it. Nevertheless, certain areas remain with unsolved problems. Since 2006 Moldovan authorities have not delivered to
Aerosvit AeroSvit Airlines private stock company (), operating as AeroSvit — Ukrainian Airlines / АероСвіт, was a Ukraine, Ukrainian private airline. Its head office was on the grounds of the Boryspil International Airport in Boryspil. ...
the authorisation to operate daily flights to Chișinău. The rail transport remains an important issue, as Ukraine is constructing a new railway line to deviate from the problematic Transnistrian sector, with its frequent blocks of railway transportation. Moldova has not yet transferred to Ukraine the
Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
Reni highway section, as well as bordering property in the region of Palanca. Palanca is a marshy area that could become a ''
Vennbahn The (, "Fen Railway") is a former railway line that was built partly across what was then German territory by the Prussian state railways. It is now entirely in Belgium, because the trackbed of the line, as well as the stations and other insta ...
''-type enclave of Moldova surrounded by Ukraine. Under a 2001 treaty between the two nations, Moldova is to transfer to Ukraine not only the asphalt (as it has already done), but also the real property under 7.7 kilometers (4¾ miles) of road (which is a portion of the 300 km; 200 mile road between Odesa and Reni), and to clarify the sovereignty of that land, which under that treaty is to be transferred to Ukraine. The situation remains unresolved with one block of the Cuciurgan power station, as it considered to be on Moldovan territory today for unclear reasons, or at least contested by Ukraine. The construction of the
oil terminal An oil terminal (also called a tank farm, tankfarm, oil installation or oil depot) is an industrial facility for the storage of oil, petroleum and petrochemical products, and from which these Petroleum product, products are transported to end u ...
in Giurgiulesti is strongly contested by Ukraine for the
ecological Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...
threat it represents to the Danubian region of Ukraine. Ukraine had transferred 400 meters (yards) of the Ukrainian bank of the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
to Moldova in 1997, in order to make the construction of the terminal possible.


Relations under Dodon

Moldovan–Ukrainian relations deteriorated under Moldovan President
Igor Dodon Igor Dodon (; born 18 February 1975) is a Moldovan politician who served as the 5th president of Moldova from 2016 to 2020. He currently serves as the leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova since 2024. He served as Ministry ...
due to his pro-Russian policies. Despite this, the government maintained cordial relations with Kyiv, with Prime Minister of Moldova
Pavel Filip Pavel Filip (born 10 April 1966) is a Moldova, Moldovan politician. In 2001–2008 he was the director of the Joint-stock company "Bucuria" and in 2008–2011, general manager of Tutun-CTC joint stock company. He was then Ministry of Informatio ...
holding a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart
Volodymyr Groysman Volodymyr Borysovych Groysman (; born 20 January 1978) is a Ukrainian statesman, politician, and businessman. He served as the 16th Prime Minister of Ukraine from 14 April 2016, to 29 August 2019. From 2006 to 2014, he was the mayor of Vinny ...
a month after Dodon's election, during which he confirmed that Moldova stands for the preservation of the sovereignty of Ukraine. In January 2017, Dodon stated that Moldova would not officially recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia as legal, reneging on statements he made to the contrary in October 2016 on the issue, stressing his position that "we need to build friendships with Ukraine". Despite this, in September of that year, Ukrainian Ambassador Ivan Hnatyshyn stated that he does not expect a visit to (Ukrainian capital)
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
by Dodon because he "doesn’t respect the territorial integrity of my country", and President
Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...
declared that he would only agree to meet with Dodon only after he officially recognizes that the Crimea is Ukrainian territory.


Election of Maia Sandu and warming of ties

This changed with the election of pro-European
Maia Sandu Maia Sandu (; born 24 May 1972) is a Moldovan politician who is serving as the sixth president of Moldova since 2020. She is the founder and former leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity and was Prime Minister of Moldova, prime minister o ...
in 2020. She visited
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
in January 2021 in her first foreign trip as president, meeting with
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
, where they agreed to create a Presidential Council to address issues of bilateral relations. On 24 February 2022, President Sandu condemned the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
as a "a blatant breach of international law and of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity", adding that "we will help people who need our help and support."


State and official visits


Resident diplomatic mission

* Moldova has an embassy in
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
and a consulate-general in
Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
. * Ukraine has an embassy in
Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...
and a consulate in
Bălți Bălți () is a city in Moldova. It is the second-largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city holds the status of municipiu. Sometimes called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cu ...
. File:Embassy of Moldova in Kyiv.jpg, Embassy of Moldova in Kyiv File:MD.C.C - Embassy of Ukraine in Moldova - mar 2021 - 01.jpg, Embassy of Ukraine in Chișinău


See also

*
Moldova–Ukraine border The Moldova–Ukraine border, the official border between Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, was established after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The length of the inland border is , of which is fluvial (i.e., along rivers) and is land borde ...
* Transnistria–Ukraine relations *
Foreign relations of Moldova After achieving independence from the Soviet Union, the Republic of Moldova established relations with other European countries. A course for European Union integration and neutrality define the country's foreign policy guidelines. In 1995, t ...
*
Foreign relations of Ukraine Ukraine has formal relations with many nations and in recent decades has been establishing diplomatic relations with an expanding circle of nations. The foreign relations of Ukraine are guided by a number of key priorities outlined in the fore ...
* Embassy of Ukraine in Moldova * Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 *
Moldova–Russia relations Moldova–Russia relations are the bilateral relations between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation, two Post-Soviet states. Russian support for the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria) and a substantial Ru ...
*
Moldova–European Union relations Relations between the European Union (EU) and Moldova are currently shaped via the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), an EU foreign policy instrument dealing with countries bordering its member states. Moldova has strong ties to EU member ...
*
Accession of Moldova to the European Union The accession of Moldova to the European Union (EU) is on the current agenda for Future enlargement of the European Union, future enlargement of the EU. Following an application by Moldova in March 2022, Moldova was officially granted candida ...
*
Ukraine–European Union relations International relations between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine are shaped through the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). Ukraine is a priority partner within the Eastern ...
*
Accession of Ukraine to the European Union On 28 February 2022, four days after it was invaded by Russia, Ukraine applied for membership of the European Union (EU). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested immediate admission under a "new special procedure", and the president ...
* Moldova–NATO relations *
Ukraine–NATO relations Relations between Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) started in 1991 following Ukraine's independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Ukraine-NATO ties gradually strengthened during the 1990s and 2000s, and Ukra ...


References


External links


Embassy of Republic of Moldova in Kyiv

Ukrainian embassy in Chisinau

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova

Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moldova-Ukraine relations
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
Bilateral relations of Ukraine