Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration: Fair and lasting peace in Ukraine could create certain conditions for withdrawal of Russian military forces from Transnistrian region

A fair and lasting peace in Ukraine, with solid security guarantees, could create certain conditions for the withdrawal of Russian military forces and munitions from the Transnistrian region. The statement was made this evening by Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Valeriu Chiveri at a TV show.

The official stressed that a just peace in Ukraine would create conditions for a more active settlement process.

“I believe that for Ukraine it is very important that this conflict be resolved, and I am also referring to the evacuation of Russian troops from the Republic of Moldova. This is necessary in order to have a safe space at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, on the Transnistrian segment,” noted Chiveri.

The Deputy Prime Minister also referred to the European Union’s intention to request that Russia withdraw its troops from the Transnistrian region within the framework of a possible peace agreement in Ukraine.

“There was a proposal that did not continue in open discussions, but there are issues that do not necessarily have to be made public. There is a certain element of discretion in this process. Nevertheless, we very much hope that the member states of the European Union share the same vision when we speak about the need to withdraw Russian military forces from the Transnistrian region,” Chiveri pointed out.

The Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration mentioned that the authorities in Chișinău want the Republic of Moldova to be an integrated state at the time of EU accession.

“That would be the ideal scenario, but we understand very well that this is not possible, because there are external factors. When we talk about European integration, we have a pre-established timetable regarding the transposition of legislation, the implementation of reforms and other actions that we must carry out. So this depends on us. When we refer to the reintegration process, there are many more external factors. We are talking about the Russian military presence and the war in Ukraine – we do not know the configuration of that peace agreement. Thus, these things influence the Transnistrian settlement process. These are two processes with different speeds and likewise different implementation timetables,” explained Valeriu Chiveri.

With regard to the evolution of the Transnistrian settlement process, the official emphasized that, in the current regional context, the “5+2” negotiation format is no longer functional and cannot be resumed, and discussions with Tiraspol will continue in the “1+1” format and at the level of working groups. The next meeting could take place in April 2026, in Râbnița, a location proposed by the authorities in Chișinău. The meeting will address topics in the field of education.