Moldova moves to withdraw from Russian-led CIS, Foreign Minister says
Moldova is in the process of formalizing its exit from the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi told Radio Moldova on Jan. 19.
Moldovan officials have long cautioned against Russia’s attempts to destabilize the country, including through attempted meddling in the country's elections.
"We are in the process of confirming the denunciation of three agreements with the CIS," Popsoi said, noting that doing so would ensure that Chisinau was "no longer a member" of the bloc.
"This process has already begun, we made this decision recently, the approval process has started," Popsoi added.
The CIS serves as a post-Soviet intergovernmental organization established to formalize economic and diplomatic ties among the former Soviet states. While several countries, including Ukraine and Georgia, have previously left the bloc, Moldova has not yet finalized its exit despite ceasing participation in 2023.
The decision to formalize Chisinau's withdraw from the CIS comes just months after pro-European President Maia Sandu's governing Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) secured a parliamentary majority in October 2025.
Popsoi said that despite not formally exiting, the country has denounced 71 agreement signed apart of the CIS since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, adding that 60 more are in the process of denunciation.
The CIS has faced significant headwinds since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Amid fractured relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, following the December 2024 crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane which Russia likely brought down, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev skipped out on an informal summit of CIS leaders.
