Why is Moldova considered a landlocked country?

Moldova is considered a landlocked country because it lacks direct access to an ocean or a sea that is not landlocked.12

Geographically, the country is entirely surrounded by land, bordered by Ukraine to the north, east, and south, and by Romania to the west. While Moldova possesses a well-developed network of rivers and streams—most notably the Dniester and the Prut—these waterways serve as internal drainage systems that eventually flow toward the Black Sea through neighboring territories rather than providing the nation with its own coastal access.34