Moldova does not see Immediate Threat but Prepares for the Worst

Moldova does not see an immediate threat of riots and violence to be transferred from the war in Ukraine, despite "provocations" by pro-Russian separatists in recent days. But authorities are preparing contingency plans for "pessimistic" scenarios, President Maia Sandu said on Wednesday.

She spoke at a press conference with Charles Michel, President of the European Council, in Chisinau, to express solidarity with the war front in Ukraine. Michel said the EU was considering additional military support for Moldova this year but gave no details.

Fears have risen over the past week that Moldova could be embroiled in the conflict in neighboring Ukraine after pro-Russian separatists in the breakaway and internationally unrecognized Transnistrian region reported a series of attacks and explosions there and blamed Kyiv.

Sandu and her pro-Western government blame the incidents on "pro-war" separatist factions. She also condemned the Russian general's comments that one of Moscow's military goals was to seize Ukrainian territory in order to contact separatists in Moldova.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of trying to drag Moldova into the war. The Kremlin has expressed "concern" over the situation in Moldova's separatist region, where Russia has deployed hundreds of soldiers to guard weapons depots since the former Soviet Union for 30 years.

Asked on Wednesday if she was worried about unrest in the coming days, Sandu said through an interpreter: "We do not see an immediate threat in the near future, but of course, we have contingency plans for such scenarios that are less optimistic or pessimistic." She reiterated her description of the incidents as "provocations" by the...