Moldovan president pays visit to Kyiv, Chernobyl

Chisinau, April 26 – President Maia Sandu today is paying a visit to Kyiv, she will hold meetings with her Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the context of commemorating 40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The head of state announced that she would also go to Chernobyl, in order to pay tribute to those who had intervened in the aftermath of the 1986 catastrophe.

“Today morning, as we commemorate 40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, I am going to Kyiv for discussions with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and to Chernobyl — to pay homage to those who sacrificed their health or even their lives to protect Europe from an even greater tragedy,” said Maia Sandu.

The Moldovan president underlined that the Chernobyl tragedy had proved that such disasters transcend state borders, but also that international solidarity can generate major solutions.

“The Chernobyl nuclear accident showed us that disasters know no borders — but it also revealed the power of international solidarity. The arch built above the contaminated reactor is proof that countries can achieve extraordinary things when they act together,” the head of state noted.

In the context, Maia Sandu emphasized the need for unity in the face of the current security challenges in the region.

“We need the same unity and determination today — to protect peace in Europe. The place of Moldova is alongside those who choose to build, not to destroy,” the Moldovan president concluded.

On April 26, 2026, it is 40 years since the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, which occurred in 1986, when an explosion at reactor number four released massive amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. The accident, considered to this day the most severe in the history of nuclear energy, generated a radioactive cloud that quickly spread over much of Europe, affecting millions of people and contaminating vast areas of land.

According to United Nations data, more than 3.5 million people were affected, and approximately 50,000 square kilometers were contaminated.