As the war rages on, the small country of Moldova, bordering Ukraine, worries it could be targeted by Russia next. It has joined a list of other nations that have applied for membership to the European Union
Refugees fleeing the war from neighbouring Ukraine arrive at the border crossing in Palanca, Moldova. AP
The war in Ukraine has entered its third week, with widespread death and destruction. All of Europe is on edge, especially former Soviet nations, as Russian president Vladimir Putin refuses to slow down. There’s fear that he might get more ambitious, more so in Moldova, a tiny nation with a population of 26.2 lakh, to the south of Ukraine.
On Sunday, United States secretary of state Antony Blinken, on a tour of Eastern Europe in the wake of the Russian invasion, visited Moldova. Only the third US secretary of state to visit the country, he met the two women running the country: Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita and President Maia Sandu. Blinken assured the leaders that the US had its back in case of any threat from the Kremlin. “You’ve seen the global response we’ve mobilised against Russia’s aggression, whenever and wherever that aggression might appear, we will do the same thing,” he said as he spoke about the US’s attempts to isolate Moscow.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Moldova’s president Maia Sandu greet each other as they arrive to attend a joint news conference following their talks in Chisinau, Moldova. AP
So far there have been no threats to Moldova, but with Russian troops attacking cities and civilians in Ukraine, Moldovans are panicking. It didn’t help that last week, a video of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Putin, posted online showed targets in Ukraine as well as targets in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria. While addressing the country’s security council, the leader appeared to be talking about a planned attack from southern Ukraine into Moldova, according to a New York Post report.
Another article in The Hill spoke about an impending incursion into the country from the historic port city of Odesa, which Ukraine fears will be bombed by Russian forces. The plan for Moldova was also pointed out by Belarusan journalist Tadeusz Giczan on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the country has opened its doors to refugees from Ukraine. Some 12,000 have reportedly crossed over since the invasion.
Moldova has asked the US to provide more humanitarian aid to the country. “…we had more than 230,000 people who have crossed the border from Ukraine, and 120,000 stayed in Moldova – 96,000 of them are Ukrainian citizens. For a small country like Moldova, proportionately, this is a very large number,” Prime Minister Gavrilita said.
Another plea to join the European Union
Fear of war has pushed Moldova to turn towards Europe for help. Like Ukraine, it has formally signed an application to join the European Union. On 3 March, President Maia Sandu said that the country had signed “a request to join the European Union”. “We want to live in peace, prosperity, be part of the free world. While some decisions take time, others must be made quickly and decisively, and taking advantage of the opportunities that come with a changing world,” she added.
The move comes after the European Parliament positively responded to Kyiv’s call to join the bloc. Joining the EU means that the nation will not only get military help but all forms of assistance in case of any threat, according to a defence clause that binds all members. However, the membership process is a long-drawn one that could take years.
Is Moldova a NATO nation?
Moldova faces a similar problem to Ukraine. It is not part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which means an attack on its territory does not guarantee support from the West. However, the only other country bothering Moldova is Romania, which is a NATO member. Any attack on a NATO nation would invoke Article 5, a “collective defence” mechanism that considers “an attack against one Ally as an attack against all Allies”.
Moldova is only 30 miles (48.2 kilometres) wide at its thinnest point, which means in case of an attack, the margin of error is slim, reports National World.
How real is the threat?
Moldova has declared a state of emergency and has also closed its airspace. The country has 1,500 Russian troops within its borders, which the Kremlin says are peacekeepers. They are based in Transnistria, a Russian-backed separatist region located in the narrow strip of land between the river Dniester and the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. Moldovans say they have no control of it, reports The Washington Post.
In an interview with CNN, the Moldovan prime minister said that the country has called for the withdrawal of the troops from Transnistria. “We are seeing so signs of involvement in the military conflict and we expect it to remain so.”
This situation in Transnistria is not very different from Ukraine’s Donbass, where Russian-back separatists dominate, and which Putin recognised as independent just days before the invasion. Transnistria calls itself the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic but is not recognised by anyone, not even Russia. However, Transnistrian leaders have not only clarified that they don’t want to be part of the EU but have also downplayed the conflict.
The Washington Post quoted Mithai Popsoi, the vice president of Moldova parliament, as saying that there was no indication of a direct threat but Lukashenko’s “map might have you question my words”. “Things can go south any day,” he added.
If Putin takes over Moldova, it could give him control of the entire north coast of the Black Sea.
With inputs from agencies
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