On 17 September at the Moldova Partnership Platform conference in Chișinău, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Moldova could be Russia’s next target if Ukraine loses the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, emphasizing the importance of supporting Kyiv to ensure Moldova’s stability, according to Reuters.
Baerbock said:
“Everything that we do to support Ukraine also means fostering stabilization with regards to Moldova. It is clear what the greatest concern of the people here is: that if Ukraine falls, Moldova is the next country in line.”
At the conference, Baerbock also announced an additional EUR 100 million in winter aid for Ukraine, citing ongoing Russian attacks on its infrastructure.
During the conference, agreements were signed to provide Moldova with more than 300 million euros ($334 million) in loans and 80 million euros in grants, as reported by the government’s press service.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by the country:
“You are all aware that Russia’s war against Ukraine, which we condemned from the very first day, hurt our economy deeply, more than any other economies, except for Ukraine. And the uncertainty created by the war continues to severely constrain our economic development and will continue to do so for as long as the war lasts.”
Moldova is situated between Ukraine and NATO and EU member Romania. The Moldovan government doesn’t have control of one of its regions, Transnistria, where Russian troops have been stationed since the early 1990s.
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