Moldova’s pro-European authorities are hesitant to join all the sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia after it invaded Ukraine so as not to provoke “a certain negative reaction” from Moscow, Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said in the “Pe Agenda” podcast on Europa Libera.
“There are certain difficulties, given the historical relations we have [with the Russian Federation], and the presence [there] of our citizens, and trade ties. In this context, we have to be somewhat cautious,” Minister Popsoi said.
In October 2023, the European Commission said that Moldova had accepted 78% of EU sanctions against Russia by August. The current Foreign Minister Popsoi stressed in April 2024 that the figure was still around 80 percent.
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Asked whether our country should maintain good relations with Russia and the EU at the same time, Popşoi said that Russian aggression against Ukraine and, in hybrid form, against Moldova “cannot be ignored” and “sitting on two chairs is not comfortable.”
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU imposed several packages of sanctions against Moscow. They include bans and restrictions on imports or exports of goods, and 1,800 Russian individuals and legal entities have fallen under the EU sanctions.