Moldovan President Maia Sandu justified the need to strengthen her country’s army with allegations of threats from Russia, explaining: “We need weapons for defense, our defense system is in a very bad state, in a situation where we see that Russia, what is happening in Ukraine, does not it’s very hard not to think about how to protect yourself if a tragedy like this happens to us.”

In a TV interview, she confirmed that “Moldova does not plan to attack anyone.”

Earlier, the European Union approved financial assistance to Moldova in the amount of 47 million euros, which will double the republic’s annual defense budget. At the end of May, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that “NATO allies are discussing the issue of arming not only Ukraine, but also Moldova according to the parameters of the alliance.”

Subsequently, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko said that “Moscow will follow the reaction of Chisinau to possible supplies of NATO weapons to the country.” The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed “doubts that these measures will increase the security of Moldova”, stressing that “this will not create a positive atmosphere for advancing negotiations on the Transnistrian settlement.”