U.S. 'Closely Watching' Situation In Moldova, Backs Its Sovereignty

The United States said on Wednesday that it was "closely watching" the recent developments in Moldova and that it stood by the country's sovereignty after the self-proclaimed "parliament" in the Russian-controlled Transnistria region appealed to Moscow for protection, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"The United States firmly supports Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," State Department's Spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing.

"Given Russia's increasingly aggressive and destabilizing role in Europe, we are watching Russia's actions in Transnistria and the broader situation there very closely," the spokesperson added.

Washington, as Miller put it, 'continues to encourage'' Chisinau and Tiraspol to "work together and identify solutions to pressing concerns of communities on both sides of the Dniester," the river that separates the occupied region and Ukraine.

When  asked by TURAN's correspondent whether the U.S. thought Russia was feeling emboldened in Moldova given the Western funding delay in Ukraine, Miller said, "we have seen Russia take a number of incredibly reckless and destabilizing acts in the region.  That’s nothing new, so that is the very reason, as I said, why we are watching this matter so closely."

Earlier on Wednesday, Moldova's President Maia Sandu, who was in Albania for a summit of southeast European countries, said her country remained committed to a peaceful resolution of the Transdniestrian conflict. "What the government is doing today is making small steps for the economic reintegration of the country," she was quoted as saying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also noted on social media that he and Sandu, meeting on the sidelines of the summit, discussed "the latest events in Moldova's Transdniestria region and Russia's efforts to destabilise the situation in the region".

Kyiv said "will remain" an active participant in the Transdniestrian settlement process and called for the "speedy withdrawal of Russian troops".