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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived today in the capital of Moldova, Chisinau. This is the first stop of a short tour of Europe aimed at strengthening Western support for Ukraine among NATO allies and neighboring countries.
The US diplomat's trip comes amid efforts by Kiev to curb Russian attacks in the east, while President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine's use of Western weapons to strike inside Russia could trigger a global conflict.
In Chisinau, Mr Blinken will meet pro-European President Maia Sandu, as well as other senior officials. The meetings come as US officials say the former Soviet republic, with a population of 2.5 million, which shares a long border with Ukraine, is facing "influence operations" from Russia.
On Friday, the top US diplomat for European affairs at the State Department, Jim O'Brien, told reporters that the United States is likely to announce a "robust package" of support for Moldova's energy independence. But he did not provide further details on the matter.
Under the leadership of Mrs. Sandu, Moldova has firmly condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine and has set its sights on membership in the European Union. Likewise, the country has significantly reduced its dependence on Russian natural gas and is expanding its electricity supply sources.
Mr. O'Brien added that Washington has no information about any direct military threat to Moldova's separatist region of Transnistria from Russia. Moscow has had a force of peacekeepers and soldiers in the region since a war in the early 1990s.
Moldova, which holds a referendum in October that would cement in the country's constitution the will to join the EU, is a vocal supporter of Ukraine and sees its security as closely tied to Kiev's ability to contain Russian forces.
"Support for Ukraine equals support for Moldova, but it also works the other way around. Support for Moldova strengthens Ukraine, because Ukraine needs a strong, democratic Moldova and a supportive neighbor, as we share a 1,200-kilometer border," said Olga Rosca, adviser to the Moldovan president on foreign policy issues.
She told the Reuters agency that Secretary Blinken's visit was a "very strong sign of support for the choice that Moldovans have made in terms of the democratic path and their aspirations for the EU".
NATO MEETING
Later this week, Secretary Blinken will travel to Prague to attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers. This meeting will focus on the continuation of preparations for the high-level meeting of the alliance that will be held in July in Washington.
"We don't anticipate that there will be an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, but we do think that there will be significant support for Ukraine as it tries to win the war," says Mr O' Brian.
"This will include NATO's continued support in building the capacity of Ukraine's military and efforts to assist Ukraine as it makes the necessary reforms to be able to join the EU and make progress towards NATO as soon as possible."
The United States has been working with European allies to help Ukraine strengthen its military, efforts that would bring Kiev closer to NATO. Several individual member states, including the United States, are working to reach bilateral agreements with Ukraine.
After more than two years of war that is estimated to be the deadliest in Europe since World War II, Western allies are debating how to stop the advance of Russian forces as President Putin increasingly raises the risk of a global war.
A critical issue has been whether the allies will allow Ukraine to use the weapons they provide to carry out attacks inside Russia, a topic that could be discussed at the Prague meeting.
In comments to The Economist magazine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged alliance members to allow Ukraine to use their weapons for attacks inside Russia. This position is supported by some European members of the transatlantic alliance, but not by the United States. / VOA
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