Moldovan President visits Bucha, Irpin, and Borodianka in Kyiv region
Moldovan President Maia Sandu visited Bucha, Irpin, and Borodianka, which suffered in the first month of a full-scale war.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Moldova published the photo from the trip.
"The President of Moldova got acquainted with the consequences of russia's criminal aggression against Ukraine and the crimes committed by the russian occupiers against the civilian population during the occupation," the embassy said.
In the afternoon, Maia Sandu will meet with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Earlier, the media reported that the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, had arrived in Kyiv for a working visit.
"Today, on June 27, President of Moldova Maia Sandu is on a working visit to Kyiv. During the day, the head of state will visit Borodianka, Bucha, and Irpin, as well as meet with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky," the Moldavan President's press service said on Facebook.
Maia Sandu's arrival in Ukraine became known on the morning of June 27. The preparations for the visit were known in advance, but the President's Office refused to confirm any information for security reasons.
As Rubryka reported, Ukraine and Moldova have both been granted EU candidate status. President of the European Council Charles Michel announced it: "Today marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU." He described the European Council's decision as a "historic moment."
While Moldova's application was accepted, a third former Soviet state, Georgia, still has to qualify for candidacy. Ukraine (on February 28), the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia (both on March 3) applied for EU membership in the wake of russia's attack against Ukraine.
Read our Timeline of the war: the current news about Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression.
Reference
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moldova, like many former Soviet republics, was to announce its independence. However, the territory of Transnistria on the eastern bank of the Dniester River—the site of a russian military station—declared itself a Soviet republic in 1990, preventing Moldova from becoming an independent state.
When Moldova became independent, russia inserted itself as a so-called "peacekeeping force" in Transnistria, sending troops in to back pro-russian separatists. War with Moldovan forces began; the conflict ended at a standstill in 1992 and russia's annexation of the territory.
Transnistria is unrecognized by the international community. The world countries consider it a part of Moldova. The Moldovan capital, Chisinau, has no control over the territory, which remains under russia's "rule."
On May 18, almost three months after russia started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Moldovan President demanded russia to withdraw its troops from Transnistria. "Today, there is no inevitable threat of Moldova's involvement in a military conflict, we are a neutral country, but for this, we call for the withdrawal of the russian military from the territory of Transnistria because their presence fundamentally undermines our independence, our neutrality," Sandu emphasized.
