Ukraine, Romania and Moldova to deepen cooperation within the “Odesa Triangle” — Sybiha

Ukraine, Romania and Moldova intend to strengthen practical cooperation within the “Odesa Triangle” format, with particular emphasis on security and stability in the Black Sea region.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated this following a conversation with Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu.

Sybiha stressed that Ukraine and Romania are close neighbours and strategic partners sharing a common interest in a safe and stable Black Sea region.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, the trilateral cooperation format involving Moldova is already producing tangible results, and Kyiv is interested in building on this momentum and further deepening practical cooperation among the three countries.

“A stronger Ukraine, Romania, and Moldova mean a stronger and safer Europe,” Sybiha emphasised.

The trilateral cooperation mechanism between Ukraine, Romania and Moldova was launched at the level of foreign ministers in Odesa in 2022. Since then, meetings have also been held in Bucharest, Chișinău and Chernivtsi, gradually transforming the format into a permanent platform for coordination among the three neighbouring countries.

Its agenda today extends well beyond traditional diplomatic consultations. It includes regional security, energy, transport infrastructure and connectivity, countering hybrid threats and disinformation, cybersecurity, trade and investment, as well as support for the European integration of Ukraine and Moldova.

Among the practical areas already discussed by the three countries are the development of regional electricity networks, diversification of gas supplies through the Trans-Balkan route, cooperation in cybersecurity, and coordination of Ukraine’s and Moldova’s advancement towards EU membership.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research

The Institute of Danube Research believes that the further institutionalisation of the “Odesa Triangle” could become an important element of the emerging security and economic cooperation architecture in the north-western Black Sea region.

Geographically, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova form a single strategic area where military security is directly interconnected with maritime navigation, port operations, Danube logistics, transport corridors towards the European Union, energy networks and the resilience of critical infrastructure.

The format is particularly important for the Ukrainian and Romanian Danube regions and southern Moldova.

This is where the Danube waterway, the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail, Moldova’s Giurgiulești International Free Port, Romanian Lower Danube ports and Constanța, as well as road and rail corridors integrating Ukraine and Moldova into the EU transport system, converge.

Therefore, the next stage in the development of the “Odesa Triangle” should go beyond regular political consultations and focus on creating a portfolio of concrete joint projects in transport infrastructure, border crossings, energy interconnectors, protection of ports and navigation, civil protection, cybersecurity and countering hybrid threats.

For Ukraine and Moldova, the format also has a strategic European dimension. As an EU and NATO member state, Romania can serve as a natural institutional bridge facilitating the deeper integration of both countries into the European economic, transport, energy and security space.

In this context, the “Odesa Triangle” has the potential to evolve from a diplomatic coordination format into a fully fledged mechanism of regional integration.

Its effectiveness will largely depend on how quickly political agreements among Ukraine, Romania and Moldova can be transformed into concrete infrastructure, economic and security projects.