Moldova's government in Chisinau has initiated the final legal steps to sever its institutional ties with Moscow’s post-Soviet alliance, marking a decisive moment in the small Eastern European nation’s pivot towards the West.
Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi confirmed on Monday that the country is finalising the denunciation of the founding agreements of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the organisation established in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The move formalises a geopolitical divorce that has been effectively in place since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Let me just say that we are in the process of confirming the denunciation of three agreements with the CIS,” Popsoi told Radio Moldova, referring to the accords that underpinned the bloc’s creation.
“The denunciation of these three agreements will mean we can say that from a legal standpoint we are no longer a member. De facto, we suspended our participation for a time, but de jure we are still there.”
The Kremlin said it regrets Moldova's decision to leave the CIS, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Peskov said that the decision did not come as a surprise to Moscow, noting that Moldova had effectively stopped participating in CIS activities some time ago.
Moldova, one of Europe's poorest states, located between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, has ceased taking part in all CIS activities since 2023.
This legal separation comes as Moldova accelerates its drive to join the European Union.
President Maia Sandu, a staunch pro-European who secured re-election in 2024, has set a target for EU accession by 2030. Her administration has frequently accused the Kremlin of orchestrating hybrid warfare campaigns designed to destabilise her government and derail the accession process.
Since 2023, Chisinau has ceased participation in CIS summits and military drills. The government has also moved to dismantle the country's historical dependence on Russian energy, integrating its power grids with Romania and the broader European market to escape what officials have termed “energy blackmail” by Gazprom.
The withdrawal coincides with a notable shift in domestic political rhetoric regarding Romania. Moldova, which was part of Greater Romania before being annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, shares a language and deep cultural ties with its EU neighbour.
In a radio interview last week, President Sandu stated for the first time that she would vote 'yes' if a referendum on reunification with Romania were held, to help protect Moldova's fragile democracy against Russian pressure. While unification remains a polarising topic, Sandu’s admission signals a confidence bolstered by her party’s retention of a parliamentary majority in the 2025 elections.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that this move would be destructive to Moldovan statehood.
Romania is an EU and NATO member.
Sandu has repeatedly accused Russia of meddling in Moldova, a former Soviet republic of around 2.4 million with a Romanian-speaking majority and a Russian-speaking minority.
Opposition and analysis
The move to abandon the CIS has drawn sharp criticism from the pro-Russian opposition. Former president Igor Dodon, head of the Socialist Party, branded the withdrawal as “unacceptable,” arguing that it severs vital economic lifelines with traditional eastern markets.
However, political analysts argue that the CIS has become obsolete for Moldova’s modern interests. Vitalii Andrievschii, a Chisinau-based political commentator, told Reuters that the withdrawal does not necessitate a total breakdown of relations with individual post-Soviet states.
“We have to bring this process to a conclusion,” Andrievschii said. “We will develop ties on a bilateral basis. But there is no point in remaining in the CIS, run by Russia.”
Regional Tension
The formal exit is likely to further strain relations with Moscow, which maintains around 1,500 "peacekeeping" troops in Transdniestria, a pro-Russian breakaway region in eastern Moldova.
As Chisinau harmonises its laws with Brussels and untangles itself from Moscow’s sphere of influence, the status of this frozen conflict remains the country’s most volatile security challenge.
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Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including Kyiv and Chisinau, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday after a malfunction on high-voltage power lines, with electricity restored later in the day.
The European Commission has announced €153 million ($183 million) in emergency aid for Ukraine, alongside €8 million ($9.5 million) to support Moldova, which hosts large numbers of Ukrainian refugees.
Romania has reiterated its openness to discussions on a potential unification with neighbouring Republic of Moldova, following recent remarks by Moldova’s president.
Moldova has officially notified Russia that the Russian Cultural Centre in Chișinău will be closed, with the institution expected to cease operations within six months, Moldovan authorities said.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
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