Despite the continuing interest in the scientific community in the biographies of the Moldavian ruler Dmitry Cantemir and the Russian Emperor Peter the Great, in the history of Moldovan-Russian relations in the first quarter of the 18^th century, many related topics and problems are still little or completely unexplored, the history of the relationship between these two statesmen, among them. This article is an attempt to trace the evolution of these interpersonal ties during the years 1711—1723, the time from their first contacts to the death of the Moldavian prince. Along with extensive literature related to this topic, the author used numerous archival materials from the archives of the Russian Federation.