On 31 July, the Prime Ministers of Ukraine, Serhiy Koretskyi, and of Moldova, Vasile Tofan, held their first talks since taking office. They discussed the crisis caused by the low water levels in the Dniester, the acceleration of construction of the bridge in the Koseuts–Yampil area, and cooperation between the railways, particularly regarding the transport of Ukrainian grain to the port of Constanța.
Briefly about the main points
- Vasyl Tofan described his first conversation with Serhiy Koretskyi as substantive.
- A joint commission from the two countries has agreed on a temporary water release regime.
- The prime ministers discussed speeding up the Koseuts–Yampil crossing.
- The railways of both countries were discussed in the context of grain exports to Constanța.
- Tofan gave assurances that Moldova would continue to support Ukraine.
The water regime of the Dniester has become one of the key issues
Vasyl Tofan He said that he had assured his Ukrainian counterpart of Moldova’s continued support for Ukraine. He also thanked the Ukrainian people for their «courage and resilience», noting that they were defending the security of the entire region.
The low water levels in the Dniester, which is a critically important source of water supply for Moldova, became a separate issue. On the same day, a joint commission comprising representatives from both countries agreed on a temporary regime for water releases from the Dniester Reservoir.
An extraordinary meeting of the commission was convened on 17 July due to a prolonged period of low water levels. The Moldovan Ministry of the Environment attributed the situation to a lack of rainfall, a heatwave and a reduction in the inflow of water to the Novodnistrovsk Reservoir. In March, the Moldovan authorities reported that around 80% of the country’s citizens were supplied with water from the Dniester.
Bridges and railways on the governments’ agendas
Koretsky and Tofan also discussed speeding up the construction of a cross-border crossing over the Dniester near Yampil in the Vinnytsia region. It is intended to create an additional route between the countries, bypassing Transnistria.
In February, the governments of Ukraine and Moldova signed a protocol on the establishment of an international road border crossing point and the construction of the Koseuts–Yampil bridge. The Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs stated at the time that the project was intended to facilitate international transit, improve mobility for border communities and make border crossings easier.
Another part of the talks focused on cooperation between the railways, including the transport of Ukrainian grain to the Romanian port of Constanța. Tofan believes that more efficient infrastructure and coordination could bring economic benefits to both countries.
A pragmatic start to cooperation between the new governments
Vasile Tofan’s government officially took office on 22 July, whilst Serhiy Koretskyi was appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine on 16 July. According to the head of the Moldovan government, in recent years the two countries have built a relationship of trust based on solidarity and mutual respect.
The fact that water issues, border infrastructure and freight logistics were all raised during the first talks points to a pragmatic agenda for bilateral relations. For the Dniester, this means the need to continue striking a balance between water supplies to Moldova and preserving the reservoir’s water reserves during periods of drought.
