NATO's deputy secretary-general has said Moldova would not be "weak militarily" despite its neutral status, should Moscow attempt to attack the former Soviet state.
Mircea Geoană, speaking to a Romanian television station, said the "neutrality clause" in the Eastern European country's constitution "must be respected." This clause states Moldova will maintain "permanent neutrality," which can only be overturned through a referendum.
But Russian troops have long been stationed in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria following a war in the early 1990s, and the Ukraine war has prompted speculation over the fate of Ukraine's pro-European neighbor.
The eastern European country received EU candidate status at the same time as Ukraine, back in June 2022.
"We must recognize the fact that the Republic of Moldova has, after the war in Transnistria, 30 years ago, a neutrality clause in the Constitution," Geoană said, according to a readout. "So this must be respected."
Yet the Moldovan government in Chisinau, led by President Maia Sandu, understands "that being neutral does not mean you have to be weak militarily," Geoană continued.
"Being neutral doesn't mean you don't have forces to protect your territory and population."
But the NATO deputy secretary-general questioned Moscow's ability to commit further forces to Transnistria, which would "mean occupying all of Ukraine, including Odesa, to make a junction with those there."
The Ukrainian port city pf Odesa is the closest major settlement in Ukraine to Transnistria and its capital, Tiraspol.
Moldova has felt some of the fall-out from the Ukraine war, and missiles entered Moldovan airspace last month.
On Monday, Hungarian air carrier Wizz Air announced it would not be operating flights from the capital from March 14, citing concerns about the safety of the country's airspace due to the ongoing war.
"Following the recent developments in Moldova and the elevated, but not imminent, risk in the country's airspace, Wizz Air has made the difficult but responsible decision to suspend all flights to Chisinau from 14 March," the carrier said in a statement.
The country's civil aviation authority said it would take "all necessary actions" to return the carrier to Chisinau as soon as possible, Reuters reported.
On February 23, Russia's defense ministry said Ukraine's government was planning a "false flag" operation against Transnistria "in the near future." The ministry said the Ukrainian troops would be wearing Russian uniforms to enter the breakaway region, according to state media. This was dismissed by Chisinau.
The following day, Russia warned that any attacks on Russian forces stationed in Transnistria would be "considered under international law as an attack on the Russian Federation."
A week and a half earlier, Sandu accused the Kremlin of plotting to send "saboteurs" in civilian dress to "overthrow the constitutional order" in Moldova. Moscow denied this.
Earlier in the month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had "intercepted the plan of the destruction of Moldova by the Russian intelligence."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
