‘Threatening rhetoric’: Lavrov calls tiny Moldova ‘the next Ukraine’
Joel Gehrke
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov referred to Moldova as “the next Ukraine” in a criticism of the Black Sea state that stokes Moldovan anxiety about the prospect of an attack from Russia.
“We categorically reject the statement by the head of Russian diplomacy, which does not correspond to reality, and is part of the already well-known threatening rhetoric of Russian diplomacy,” the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Lavrov drew the analogy as Moscow renews its attempt to characterize its invasion of Ukraine as a defensive struggle against fascist ideology. Russia has maintained a military presence in Moldova over the objections of the Moldovan government, a dispute that could provide kindling for another crisis, spurring Moldova to seek deeper ties with U.S. and European governments.
“The West has already set its sights on the Republic of Moldova,” Lavrov told state media, saying that Moldova has “a president who wants to join NATO, has Romanian citizenship, is ready to unite with Romania and, in general, she is ready for almost anything.”
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The territory of modern Moldova was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, but Moldova and Romania, a member of NATO, have long-standing social and cultural ties stemming in part from their common background as part of the former Kingdom of Romania. Moldova has a neutrality clause in its constitution, but Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of trying to use “corrupt groups and some political groups to destabilize” her country.
“There is a serious discussion in the society, about our capacity to defend ourselves — whether we can do it ourselves, or whether we should be part of a larger alliance,” Sandu told Politico’s EU Confidential podcast. “It’s not Moldova which started a war against its neighbors … Now that we see the Russian aggression against Ukraine, we understand how serious this is, and we understand that we need to make the defense sector a priority.”
Moldovan intelligence officials have suggested that the Kremlin might try to seize the entire Ukrainian coastline on the Black Sea in order to create a corridor that links mainland Russia with the disputed territories of Moldova.
“The question is not whether the Russian Federation will launch a new offensive in the direction of Moldovan territory, but when it will happen: either at the beginning of the year, in January, February, or later, in March, (or) April,” Moldovan spy chief Alexandru Musteata said in December. “What will follow — their intentions towards Chisinau — we can discuss. But this is a real and very high risk.”
Lavrov’s comments come a week after Putin’s allies in the Russian parliament issued their own warnings.
“If Moldova wants to destroy its own state, this is the best way,” Russian lawmaker Leonid Kalashnikov said, referring to the idea of Moldova’s membership in NATO. “If they think that, like Finland or Sweden, secretly, quickly, taking advantage of the situation, they can join NATO and that nothing will happen to them for this in their own country, they should remember something else. The fact that Finland has two official languages and respects its people.”
Moldova has applied to join the European Union, which is an economic and political bloc, not the military alliance that is NATO.
“Joining the EU is our only option to survive as a democracy, so it’s a must for us,” Sandu said.
“We do believe in democracy. We want to stay part of the free world.”
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Her government struck a similar note in its response to Lavrov. “We would like to remind the Russian side that the path Moldova is following is the path of accession to the EU,” the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said. “Moldova has clearly chosen its future, and this future is part of the free world.”