Overview
- Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Maia Sandu met in Kyiv on Sunday to coordinate security, cross-border projects, and their path to the European Union.
- Both leaders pressed for faster EU integration, saying negotiation clusters should open soon as Sandu urged Brussels to begin talks without delay for both countries.
- Zelensky said Ukraine will keep backing Moldova on security, including issues linked to Transnistria, while Sandu said a reintegration plan needs international support focused on demilitarisation, de-oligarchisation, and democratisation.
- Sandu credited Ukraine with keeping Russian forces far from Moldova’s borders, which she said creates space to seek a peaceful settlement to the Transnistria dispute.
- The talks follow steps by Chisinau to tighten pressure on the Russia-backed enclave, including declaring commanders of Russian forces in Transnistria unwelcome, as Kyiv estimates 1,000 to 1,500 Russian troops remain there.