kyiv may have to put pressure on Moldova if former prosecutor general Alexander Stoianoglo, instead of Maia Sandu, wins the presidential election. This was announced today, November 1, two days before the vote, by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavel Klimkin.
According to him, Stoianoglo, who is supported by the Party of Socialists, is a pro-Russian candidate and, if he wins, Ukraine will have to impose conditions and restrictions on Moldova to protect its interests. He recalled that Alexander Stoianoglo has not yet publicly declared that “Russia is an aggressor”, so he cannot be called a pro-Ukrainian politician;
“However, the critical issue is not what he says, but what he does. Therefore, Ukraine’s task is to impose certain conditions and restrictions on Moldova.” – Kolimkin believes.
The former minister suggested that Ukraine could exert this influence through economic channels, transit agreements and energy supplies to replace Russian resources.
“This is not necessarily blackmail as such. However, I cannot exclude that at some point, if we feel a real threat that Moldova will become a springboard for Russia, it may be necessary to resort to classic pressure tactics.” – Pavel Klimkin emphasized.
He added that it is necessary to recognize the reality that Moldova could become a Russian stronghold, although the election of a pro-Russian president does not automatically mean that will happen. The Republic of Moldova is a parliamentary republic, where the pro-European majority continues to govern.
Recall that even before the start of the election campaign, the then Ukrainian ambassador in Chisinau Marko Shevchenko He warned that “if the pro-Russian opposition is in power in Moldova, kyiv will not want to have friendly relations with this country.” In this case, the first step could be a partial or total closure of the border with the republic.
As reported EADaily The Ukrainian regime is preparing Odessa for war in Transnistria. Previously, kyiv urgently offered assistance to Chisinau to the Armed Forces of Ukraine “to liberate the region from separatists and the illegal presence of Russian troops.” In turn, Moscow warned that it would consider any provocation against its peacekeepers in Transnistria and against Russian citizens (about 250 thousand) as an attack on the Russian Federation.
