Moldovan President arrives in Ukraine on her first foreign visit
Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrived in Ukraine on January 12. This is her first foreign official visit as President of Moldova.
Sandu will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. A series of bilateral agreements is expected to be concluded during the visit.
The Presidents of Ukraine and Moldova met at the Mariyinsky Palace.
After the ceremonial part, the Presidents had a face-to-face meeting, after which Ukrainian-Moldovan talks are planned in an expanded composition under the chairmanship of the President of Ukraine and the President of the Republic of Moldova.
Maya Sandu's visit to Ukraine was announced after her election as president, before the official inauguration. Maia Sandu said that after the inauguration she plans to hold her first meetings with the presidents of Romania and Ukraine. Sandu said she would focus on working with the EU to overcome the pandemic and lead Moldova out of the economic crisis. Sandu also stressed that she will try to bring her country out of "international isolation."
The strengthening of bilateral relations between the countries began with the visit of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to Chisinau. The Ukrainian minister invited Sandu to join the Crimean platform and stressed that Ukraine together with Moldova will insist on the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Transdniestria region.