Zelensky Receives Moldova’s Highest State Award as Regional Cooperation Deepens

Moldovan President Maia Sandu awarded President Volodymyr Zelensky wthe Order of the Republic – Moldova’s highest state decoration – during her visit to Kyiv on Aug. 24, as Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day. Sandu publicly referred to the award again during a joint news conference with Zelensky and Romanian President Nicușor Dan in Chișinău, Moldova on Thursday, Aug. 27.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “And while Ukraine is fighting there, in the east, Moldova can sleep peacefully,” Sandu said during a livestream broadcasted by Ukraine’s Presidential Office. “Therefore, in Kyiv, I announced the awarding of the highest state award of our country to President Zelensky for his enormous contribution to protecting peace and freedom on the European continent,” she continued. Ukraine and Moldova share Independence Days in same week “A few days ago, the president of Moldova was with us in Ukraine on our Independence Day,” Zelensky said in a statement. “Today, Ukraine stands with Moldova on its Independence Day.” “Friends should stand shoulder to shoulder,” he continued, as both countries marked their 35th independence anniversaries just three days apart. The two countries are also taking steps toward the EU together, with their accession paths directly intertwined. Trilateral talks in Chișinău During a trilateral meeting with Sandu and Dan on Thursday, Zelensky said the leaders discussed energy cooperation, shared infrastructure, security capabilities, and EU integration. Other Topics of Interest Lukashenko Arrives in Russia for Talks With Putin The leaders are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation, regional security, and international issues during the diplomatic visit. “It is important that we are together like this – Ukraine, Moldova and Romania” Zelensky said in a statement posted to his Telegram channel. “When you are Russia’s neighbor, you need to cooperate as closely as possible with all your other neighbors and with all other free nations,” he continued. Drone incursions over Moldova and Romania Earlier that day, Sandu said five Russian drones had violated the country’s airspace hours before the anniversary celebrations took place. She framed the incursions as “intimidation” from Russia, adding that Moldova remains committed to joining the EU. On Aug. 17, Sandu said Russia might be deliberately sending drones into Moldova’s airspace, noting that the pattern of drone trajectories offers a clue to the question of whether the airspace violations are coincidental or a deliberate test of the region’s response capacity. Around 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 16, just a day before Sandu made the remarks, a drone entered Moldovan airspace from Ukraine and flew over the country for 18 minutes before continuing toward Galaţi, Romania. A Spanish F-18 fighter jet on combat patrol shot the drone down. The incident marked the fourth such instance of an intruding drone being shot down over Romania. On July 27, after NATO fighter jets shot down three stray drones over the weekend of July 24-26, Romania ordered a Russian embassy employee to leave the country within five days in what it called a “firm response” to the drones repeatedly breaching its airspace along the Ukrainian border. Russia raises regional tensions The three leaders met as Moldova, alongside other allied countries, including Romania, continued to face repeated airspace violations by Russian drones. Four people close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg on Wednesday, Aug. 26, that Russia now sees few alternatives to further escalation as it seeks to achieve its military objectives. At the same time, Moscow increasingly sees Ukrainian strikes as attacks by NATO, because alliance members are supplying Kyiv with weapons and intelligence. On Thursday, Ukraine’s intelligence agencies said Russia is preparing a new mobilization wave that could bring 600,000 additional troops into the war effort in 2026-2027. At the same time, Axios reported that Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the UK and France on Thursday of “playing with fire” by providing Ukraine with technology for long-range strikes. It also threatened strikes on British military targets inside and outside Ukraine. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.