Kuleba invites newly appointed Moldovan foreign minister to Kyiv

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba congratulated Moldovan politician Mihai Popsoi on his appointment as the country’s new foreign minister and invited him to Kyiv, Kuleba said on Jan. 30.

Popsoi assumed the role on Jan. 29 amid heightened tensions between Moldova and the breakaway region of Transnistria, as well as the Kremlin’s reported plans to destabilize the Eastern European country, which is not part of NATO and the European Union.

The EU agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine and its neighboring state, Moldova, on Dec. 14, 2023. The accession process usually takes years and will require additional reforms in the two countries.

“Committed to employing the power of diplomacy to firmly anchor Moldova in the free world, advance our path to EU membership, and work for the benefit of our citizens at home and abroad,” Kuleba said on X (formerly Twitter) after speaking with Popsoi.

Popsoi is one of the leaders of Moldova’s ruling Action and Solidarity Party. He served as the vice president of the Moldovan parliament from 2019 to 2024.

Pro-European Moldovan President Maia Sandu announced on Dec. 24 last year that she was planning to run for another term at the next presidential elections in fall 2024.

As Moldova has shifted toward the European Union under Sandu’s leadership, Russia has continued to put pressure on the country.

Sandu said that Russia, with the direct support of the late Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group, tried to foment a coup against the Moldovan government in February 2023.

Russia has also funneled a significant amount of money into the country in an attempt to influence elections, she said. Moscow has reportedly wielded a variety of tools against Moldova, including weaponizing energy supplies, cyber attacks, and directly threatening the country with unrest from the Russian-controlled Transnistria.

Read also: Investigation: Leaked document exposes Kremlin’s 10-year plan to undermine Moldova

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