Germany will provide Ukraine with an additional €100 million in support this winter as the invaded country faces relentless Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. This announcement was made on Tuesday in Chisinau by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is visiting the city to participate in the Moldova Support Platform meeting. This event, initiated by Germany, Romania, and France, allowed German officials to reiterate the need for the continued “stabilization” of the small country across the Prut, according to DPA and Reuters, as reported by Agerpres.
Baerbock anticipates a new “winter war” from Moscow aimed at making life for the people of Ukraine “as dreadful as possible.”
The German Foreign Minister emphasized that the aid destined for Kyiv is equally “support for Moldova and European democracy as a whole,” especially as the country’s citizens, which aspires to become members of the European Union, are called to the polls in October to elect their president and decide through a referendum on its European path.
“The greatest concern of the people here is that if Ukraine falls, (the Republic of) Moldova will be the next country to fall,” Baerbock stated, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to see the Republic of Moldova collapse. “He got the opposite: Moldova, like Ukraine, is now a candidate for EU membership,” the German Foreign Minister emphasized, highlighting that the immediate task is stabilizing the Republic of Moldova.
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In 2022, Romania, Germany, and France launched the Platform for Moldova Partnership to support Moldova’s European integration amid COVID-19 and Russian aggression. The fifth edition of this platform follows previous meetings in Berlin, Paris, Bucharest, and Chisinau. Last year’s meeting pledged €400 million to Moldova, with an additional €200 million from the European Investment Bank announced this year.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is preparing for Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure this winter. President Volodymyr Zelensky has sought increased Western aid during talks with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Germany’s Olaf Scholz. The EU will provide €40 million in humanitarian help in response to these attacks.