With Much of Polish Border Blockaded, Ukraine and Moldova Simplify Border Crossings

Ukraine’s Prime Minister announced that Kyiv reached an agreement to simplify border crossings for Ukrainians and Moldovans.

The two countries have come closer since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Chisinau recently announcing its intention to fully withdrawal from the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) by the end of 2024.   

The European Union also recently agreed to enter accession talks with the two countries.

Denys Shmyhal and Dorin Recean, the prime ministers of Ukraine and Moldova, signed a series of protocols establishing joint border control at checkpoints between the two countries during a videoconference on Thursday, Shymhal posted on X.

“We signed a number of protocols that will simplify border crossing between and for citizens and cargo. Joint control enables us to intensify our trade and economic cooperation,” Shymhal wrote on X.

Simplified crossing via Moldova may be particularly crucial for Ukraine’s economy now, as a group of Polish transport companies has been blockading Ukrainian truckers at the Polish border due to a dispute over competition.

“This will not only intensify trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova but will also increase the efficiency and effectiveness of border crossing capacities using the best European practices,” Shymhal posted.

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“The latter is especially important in the context of our common movement towards the European Union,” he wrote.