No country is safe with Putin, says the Prime Minister of Moldova, among others
Moldova’s prime minister says she is very worried that Russia will invade her country next, while warning that no country is safe from Vladimir Putin.
Natalia Gavrilita’s warning came after Moscow’s forces made “gains” in the south and east of Ukraine, near the Moldovan-Ukraine border, in recent months.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow’s primary goal in Ukraine is to topple the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky, echoing the Kremlin’s war aims.
Analysts believe the Kremlin is trying to build a land bridge between Russian-held territory in eastern Ukraine and Transnistria – an unrecognized breakaway region backed by Russia – in order to cut off Ukraine from the Black Sea.
Transnistria controls a narrow strip of land located mainly between the Dniester River and the Moldovan-Ukrainian border.
It declared independence from Moldova after a brief military conflict in 1992, but is still internationally recognized as part of the Eastern European country.
“It’s a hypothetical scenario at the moment, but if the military actions move further into the southwestern part of Ukraine and towards Odesa, then of course we are very concerned,” Gavrilita told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday.
“We are very worried, especially considering that the troops are on the territory of the breakaway region of Transnistria. We are doing everything possible to maintain peace and stability and ensure that the fighting does not escalate.”
With just 2.5 million people, Moldova is a tiny nation, especially compared to neighboring Ukraine, which had a population of more than 40 million before Putin’s February 24 invasion.
Ukraine’s large size and population enabled it to put up fierce resistance against the Russian invaders, surprising many – especially the Kremlin, which had boldly expected its forces to capture Kyiv within days.
A country like Moldova, which is constitutionally neutral and therefore not a member of NATO, would have a much harder time defending itself.
Moldova was part of the Soviet Union until 1991 when it seceded from the disintegrating communist bloc. Since the war in Ukraine began, around half a million Ukrainian refugees have taken refuge.
Fears that Russia may seek to push through Ukraine to invade were raised in March when Putin ally and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko appeared in a leaked photo gesturing to Moldova on a battle map.
Gavrilita said the ongoing war created a “difficult situation” for many European countries, not just Moldova.
“If a country can start a war of annexation without regard to international law, then in that sense, no one is safe. I think many countries are worried,” she said.
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