NATO outlined possible responses to Russian attempt to annex Transnistria
Photo: NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana (flickr.com nato)
In the North Atlantic Alliance, there is a skeptical attitude towards the possibility of Russia annexing the Transnistrian region of Moldova, controlled by pro-Russian separatists and supported by the Kremlin. NATO will respond to such attempts by Moscow, particularly through pseudo-referendums, stated the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoana.
"If Russia decides to annex Transnistria, NATO will condemn such actions and continue to support the Republic of Moldova," he emphasized.
The official also mentioned that the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had previously planned to "squeeze Ukraine in a vice," including through the unrecognized Pridnestrovian (Transnistrian) Moldavian Republic, where a certain number of Russian military forces are still present. However, at present, he lacks the strength to do so.
The NATO representative also commented on fake "referendums in unrecognized South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and specifically in Transnistria, which were organized and conducted earlier."
"They are absolutely invalid from an international perspective," emphasized Geoana during an interview on a Romanian television channel.
The Deputy Secretary General of NATO suggested that at the announced "congress of deputies" in Transnistria scheduled for the end of February, it is more likely that new trade agreements between Russia and the Pridnestrovian (Transnistrian) Moldavian Republic may be announced, rather than a "referendum."
He reminded that a pseudo-referendum took place in Transnistria "several years ago."
What preceded
Recently there has been information that the so-called "deputies of all levels" in Transnistria plan to request Putin to annex the region to Russia during the congress on February 28. As reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), representatives of the unrecognized "authority" may organize a fake pseudo-referendum.
Meanwhile, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that the so-called Transnistrian Moldovan Republic does not plan to join the Russian Federation.
It was previously reported that on December 24, 2023, the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, proposed to the parliament to organize a referendum in the country on joining the European Union. She stated that it could be held in the autumn of 2024, coinciding with the presidential elections. According to Sandu, the referendum will allow enshrining in the Constitution of Moldova the irreversibility of the country's accession process to the European Union.
