“We cannot turn our backs on Ukraine,” Sandu on grain transit through Moldova

The President of Moldova said that helping Ukraine is more important than the short-term losses of Moldovan farmers.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu supported the government’s decision to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grain through the country. She said this on Radio Moldova, NewsMaker reports.

“If Ukraine cannot sell its products and does not have the funds to defend itself, then we will have bigger problems than today,” the President said.

According to her, Moldova must find a way to support its own agricultural sector, but at the same time it cannot turn its back on Ukraine.

“Of course, we must think about how to ensure that our sector does not suffer too much, but at the same time we cannot turn our back on Ukrainians, who, as we see, are being bombed every night, and they wake up every day, grow grain and resist. With their resistance, they also protect our peace,” Sandu said.

She added that other countries are helping Ukraine financially and militarily in much larger amounts, while Moldova can make its contribution primarily through transit routes.

Recall that on August 12, the Moldovan government agreed with Ukraine to reduce tariffs for rail transit of Ukrainian cargo by 50%. The preferential rates are valid from August 10 to December 31, 2026.

According to the Moldovan government, this could bring Moldovan Railways several million euros in revenue – Ukraine plans to export about 6 million tons of cargo in the 2026 agricultural year, and Moldova expects to attract about 10% of this volume.

Earlier, USM wrote that Ukraine and Moldova are working on new routes for exports bypassing the Black Sea.