Ukraine may need to pressure Moldova if Stoianoglo wins election – former Ukrainian foreign minister

Pavlo Klimkin, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister, believes that if pro-Russian Socialist Party candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo wins the presidential election in Moldova, Ukraine will be compelled to set conditions and limits on his actions to safeguard Ukrainian interests.

Source: Pavlo Klimkin during an interview with European Pravda

Details: Klimkin is confident that Stoianoglo, a candidate representing Moldova’s Socialist Party, will not be pro-Ukrainian, as he is already refusing to say that Russia is an aggressor.

Quote: "However, the critical issue is not what he says but what he does. That is why Ukraine’s task is to impose certain conditions and boundaries on him."

The former minister suggested that Ukraine could exert this influence through economic channels, transit agreements and energy supplies to replace Russian resources.

Quote: "This does not necessarily mean literal blackmail. However, I cannot rule out that at some point – if we perceive a real threat of Moldova becoming a Russian staging ground – we might have to resort to classic pressure tactics." 

He believes that the reality must be acknowledged: Moldova could potentially become a Russian stronghold, although the election of a pro-Russian president does not automatically mean this will happen.

When asked what else Ukraine could do besides leveraging energy resources, Klimkin also highlighted the accessibility of Ukrainian goods in Moldova.

Quote: "If you look at supermarket shelves in Moldova, you’ll see that most products are Ukrainian. In terms of price-quality ratio, they are the best available. This is something Moldova can afford today." 

He added that Moldova would struggle to quickly replace these goods with Romanian alternatives, which tend to be more expensive and often of lower quality.

Background:

• In the first round of Moldova’s presidential election, incumbent President Maia Sandu received 42.37% of the vote, while Alexandr Stoianoglo from the Socialist Party secured 26.02%.
• The second round of Moldova’s presidential election is scheduled for 3 November.

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