Sibiga presented the Moldovan foreign minister with a Ukrainian order
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga met with his Moldovan counterpart, Mihai Popsoi, in Chisinau. During the meeting, he presented Popsoi with the Order of Merit, Second Class, which had been awarded to him by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Andriy Sibiga met with Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popșoi in Chișinău. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported this on September 1. The meeting took place while Sibiga was en route to Ireland, where the Ukrainian minister is scheduled to participate in an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers.
One of the highlights of the meeting was the presentation of a Ukrainian state award to Mihai Popșoi. Sybiga presented him with the Order of Merit, Second Class, which Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously awarded to the Moldovan minister. According to Sibiga, the award recognized Popșoi’s personal contribution to the development of relations between Ukraine and Moldova. “This award recognizes Mihai Popșoi’s personal contribution to strengthening Ukrainian-Moldovan relations and Moldova’s consistent support for Ukraine,” Sibiga noted.
The Ukrainian minister also emphasized that Kyiv highly values its cooperation with Chisinau. According to him, Ukraine and Moldova plan to continue deepening their partnership. “We highly value our close partnership and will continue to strengthen it, particularly within the framework of the Odessa Triangle, which includes Romania,” Sibiga said.
The Odessa Triangle is a framework for cooperation between Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania. The countries coordinate their positions on security, infrastructure, the economy, and other common issues in the region. During the conversation, Sibiga also briefed Popša on the situation at the front and the latest Russian attacks. In particular, they discussed the intensification of Russian terror against Ukraine and strikes on border infrastructure.
The Ukrainian minister stated that Russia cannot achieve its goals on the battlefield, so it continues to terrorize Ukraine with strikes on civilian and infrastructure targets. Separately, the parties discussed the European integration of the two countries. Ukraine and Moldova share a common goal—accession to the European Union. “Our countries share a common path toward the European Union, and we are determined to move forward on it side by side,” Sibiga said.
According to him, Ukraine is ready to move forward in negotiations on EU accession and is counting on proactive decisions from member states. “We are ready to open all remaining negotiation chapters and call on EU member states to take action,” added the Ukrainian foreign minister.
Another topic of the meeting was Russia’s attempts to influence the situation in Ukraine, Moldova, and neighboring countries. Sibiga and Popșoi discussed joint steps that could help counter Russian destabilization efforts. “We also discussed joint steps to counter Russia’s attempts to destabilize our countries and the region as a whole,” Sibiga said.
For Ukraine, Moldova remains an important partner not only in terms of European integration but also in the sphere of regional security. Both countries border Ukraine and face risks associated with the Russian war and Moscow’s attempts to strengthen its influence in the region. The meeting between Sibiga and Popșoi took place against the backdrop of continuing Russian attacks on Ukraine and intensified cooperation between Kyiv and Chișinău. The parties agreed to coordinate their actions on security, the European course, and countering Russian attempts to destabilize the region. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, September 1.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned airlines, insurers, and other companies that use Russian airspace about the increasing danger of flying over Russia. According to him, due to the war and the activity of Ukrainian drones, Russian airspace will effectively become unsuitable for safe civilian flights.
