Russia threatens Moldova because of its intentions to join NATO. The head of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, communist Leonid Kalashnikov, said that Russia's attitude to the possible entry of Moldova into NATO would be "

“Moldova’s accession to NATO can lead to the destruction of the statehood of this country,” Russian media quote the deputy.

“If they think that they, like Finland or Sweden, on the sly, quickly, taking advantage of the situation, can join NATO and there will be nothing for them in their own country, they must remember. about the fact that they [in Moldova] have Transnistria, which is inhabited by Russian-speaking people, who expressed their opinion back in the early 1990s,” he said, probably hinting at the intentions of the Russian Federation in the usual way to “protect” the Russian-speaking population.

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“Moldova has been upsetting us lately with its decisions,” said United Russia deputy Svetlana Zhurova, adding that the Russian Foreign Ministry “knows how to respond” to the statement of the president of the republic.

Another United Russia MP, Andrei Klimov, said that such a position of Moldova could become “suicidal”, since “problems in Ukraine began just after the rejection of the constitutional neutrality that existed before and the official announcement of Kyiv’s course towards joining the anti-Russian military bloc NATO”.

Sandu, in an interview with Politico, said that a serious discussion continues in Moldova about the country's ability to defend itself and the possibility of joining a wider alliance.. The conflict in Ukraine has raised doubts in the republic about the effectiveness of the neutrality enshrined in the constitution.

Recently, Moldova asked Western allies to strengthen their air defense capabilities..