The United States recognized Moldova’s independence on December 25, 1991, when President George H.W. Bush announced the decision in an address to the nation regarding the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Moldova previously had been a constituent republic of the USSR.

Diplomatic relations were established on February 29, 1992, when officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow transmitted a diplomatic note to the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming the United States’ establishment of a diplomatic presence there in accordance with President George H.W. Bush and Moldovan President Mircea Snegur’s agreement during a February 18, 1992, meeting at the White House in Washington D.C.

The American Embassy in Chisinau was established on March 13, 1992, with Howard Steers as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.