Blinken vows US support to wary Moldova as Ukraine war rages
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Moldova's President Maia Sandu greet each other as they arrive to attend a joint news conference following their talks in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, March 6, 2022. Blinken is in Moldova pledging Americas support to the small Western-leaning former Soviet republic that is coping with an influx of refugees from Ukraine and warily watching Russias intensifying war with its neighbor. – U.S.
More than 230,000 people have fled into or passed through Moldova from Ukraine since the war began 11 days ago. Blinken said Moldova’s welcoming of refugees is an inspiration to the world. “This is a subject of high vulnerability and we watch it carefully," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said. She said there had not yet been any indication that the roughly 1,500 Russian soldiers based in Transnistria had changed posture but stressed that it was a concern given what is happening in Ukraine.
“Moldova is a powerful example of a democracy rising to the moment with vision and with determination," Blinken said.