Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moldova was using its desire to join the EU as leverage on gas
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Moldova of using its aspirations to join the EU as an “extortion” tactic in talks on Russian gas.
“It’s essentially extortion: if you don’t do this, we’ll join the European [Union] quicker. And if you do, we’ll still join, but at a slower pace. Those are the signals I’m getting,” Lavrov told Russia’s NTV channel on Thursday.
He added that Brussels and Washington “are clearly trying to turn Moldova into a second Ukraine” by “shaping the country in an anti-Russian way.”
Moldovan President Maia Sandu denied using the prospects of joining the EU as leverage against Moscow. She said on Friday that Russia could use “gas and other tools” to pressure Moldova.
Moldova, which relies heavily on Russian gas, has racked up an estimated $709 million in debts and overdue payments, according to Russian gas giant Gazprom.
On Friday, the European Commission recommended that Moldova is granted candidate status, a first step in the lengthy process of becoming an EU member. The decision could be finalized at an EU meeting next week.
Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu reiterated this week that integration with the EU remains “a priority.”
The official added that Moldova was studying whether it should leave the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a regional bloc made up of former Soviet countries, including Russia.
RT (Russia Today) is a state-owned news organization funded by the Russian government. The information provided by this news source is being included by the Libertarian Hub not as an endorsement of the Russian government, but rather because it is being actively censored by Big Tech, Western governments and the corporate press. During times of conflict it is imperative that we have access to both sides of the story so we can form our own opinions, even if both sides are spewing their own propaganda. The censorship of RT, despite likely being a propaganda outfit for the Russian government, reduces our ability to hear one side of the conflict. For that reason, the Libertarian Hub will temporarily republish the RSS feed from RT. Visit https://rt.com
