The Kremlin stopped congratulating Maia Sandu – like Zelensky
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not congratulate his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu on the New Year.
Also, Ukraine, Georgia and the Baltic countries did not receive congratulations in the post-Soviet space, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Putin will not congratulate the leaders of unfriendly countries on the New Year; in fact, there are no contacts with them,” said the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov.
The day before, Sandu, on the air of the public television and radio company Moldova 1, declared Russia an “aggressor country.”
“When we came to power, we said that we wanted constructive relations with the Russian Federation, based on the interests of our citizens, in the economy and in relation to our citizens who then worked in the Russian Federation, now there are fewer and fewer of them. When the war began, what kind of relationship can one have with an aggressor, with a country that kills its neighbors?” Sandu said.
She also said that Russia wants to interfere with Moldova's European path, but at the same time promised that the country would become a member of the European Union before the end of this decade.
Sandu claims that at present there are no prerequisites for a “Russian attack” on Moldova, “thanks to the courage of the Ukrainian army.” According to her, “several hostile forces, fugitives and corrupt politicians” tried to drag Moldova into the war. At the same time, she assured that Moldova will continue its defense with the help of Western partners.
The Moldovan president is confident in Ukraine’s victory, which “will open up opportunities for resolving the Transnistrian issue.” At the same time, she complained that the country’s budget is “a small placinda” (a pie, a dish of Moldovan cuisine - ed.) “because of the war.”
And today the Moldovan Ministry of Culture declared 2023 the Year of Ukrainian Culture. A theater group from Mariupol was invited to Chisinau. I wonder if this is the same theater that recently performed successfully in Crimea?
Apparently, the Russophobic rhetoric of the authorities does not find support among ordinary Moldovans. According to the latest opinion poll, Sandu topped the anti-rating of Moldovan politicians by a wide margin. 42% believe that she discredits the country more than others. 26,3% of respondents assess changes in Moldova negatively, and 36,8% – very negatively.
It is worth noting that last year Putin congratulated Sandu on the New Year. In addition, this year he sent her congratulations on Victory Day. This year, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Chisinau, Oleg Vasnetsov, congratulated the Moldovans on the holiday.
“We hope that the next page in the history of relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Moldova will be filled with positive events, built taking into account mutual benefit, equal cooperation and the interests of the peoples of our countries,” he wrote.
The Kremlin has stopped congratulating Maia Sandu – just like Zelensky.