Ukraine may need to pressure Moldova if Stoianoglo wins election – Ukraines Former Foreign Minister
www.pravda.com.ua
Thu, 31 Oct 2024 22:31:20 +0200
Pavlo Klimkin, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister, believes that if proRussian Socialist Party candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo wins the presidential election in Moldova, Ukraine will be compelled to set conditions and limits on his actions to safeguard Ukrainian interests.
Source Pavlo Klimkin during an interview with European Pravda Details Klimkin is confident that Stoianoglo, a candidate representing Moldovas Socialist Party, will not be proUkrainian, as he is already refusing to say that Russia is an aggressor.
Quote However, the critical issue is not what he says but what he does.
That is why Ukraines task is to impose certain conditions and boundaries on him.
The former minister suggested that Ukraine could exert this influence through economic channels, transit agreements and energy supplies to replace Russian resources.
Quote This does not necessarily mean literal blackmail.
However, I cannot rule out that at some point if we perceive a real threat of Moldova becoming a Russian staging ground we might have to resort to classic pressure tactics. He believes that the reality must be acknowledged Moldova could potentially become a Russian stronghold, although the election of a proRussian president does not automatically mean this will happen.
When asked what else Ukraine could do besides leveraging energy resources, Klimkin also highlighted the accessibility of Ukrainian goods in Moldova.
Quote If you look at supermarket shelves in Moldova, youll see that most products are Ukrainian.
In terms of pricequality ratio, they are the best available.
This is something Moldova can afford today. He added that Moldova would struggle to quickly replace these goods with Romanian alternatives, which tend to be more expensive and often of lower quality.
Background In the first round of Moldovas presidential election, incumbent President Maia Sandu received 42.37 of the vote, while Alexandr Stoianoglo from the Socialist Party secured 26.02.
The second round of Moldovas presidential election is scheduled for 3 November.
Support UP or become our patron
Latest news
more news