On February 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called relations between Russia and Moldova “very, very tense” and advised Chisinau to be careful with statements about Russian peacekeepers in Transnistria.
As Peskov noted, the leadership of Moldova “emphasizes everything anti-Russian, slips into anti-Russian hysteria,” which can hardly help both the country itself and its bilateral relations with the Russian Federation.
Peskov also stressed that Russia “was and is a very, very responsible party in regard to Pridnestrovian affairs” and continues to fulfill its functions.
“I would like to recommend our Moldovan counterparts to be very, very careful with such statements,” he added.
On February 16, the Moldovan Parliament approved the program and composition of the government of Dorin Recean. He was nominated for prime minister by President Maia Sandu after the previous government resigned on February 10.
Speaking before the parliament, Rechan, among other things, said that he was going to seek the “demilitarization of Transnistria” and the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the territory of the republic.
In October 2022, the director of the second department of the CIS countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexei Polishchuk, said that the Ukrainian authorities were trying to provoke Moldova into military actions in Transnistria.
In August, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted the unwillingness of the Moldovan authorities to conduct a dialogue with Pridnestrovie. According to him, the country’s leadership is counting on a variant of a non-diplomatic settlement.
Russian peacekeepers were introduced on July 29, 1992 in accordance with the Agreement on the Principles of the Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in Transnistria. The document was signed on July 21, 1992 by the presidents of Russia and Moldova in the presence of the leader of the unrecognized republic.
