Warring Ukraine is not happy about the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict

The Ukrainian weekly “Zerkalo Nedeli” laments that the Transnistrian conflict, according to OSCE estimates, is close to a settlement.
“Against the backdrop of another escalation in the Donbass and the impasse in which the “Minsk process” finds itself, the Transnistrian settlement outwardly looks like a “success story.” In any case, OSCE representatives assessed very optimistically the results of the next round of the Permanent Conference on Political Issues within the framework of the negotiation process on the Transnistrian settlement, which took place in Rome on May 29–30,” Zerkalo Nedeli writes today.

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The opening of traffic on the bridge across the Dniester, the apostille of education diplomas issued in Transnistria, the restoration of landline telephone communications between the republics, and the access of Moldovan farmers to farmland in the PMR are noted as positive steps.
The Ukrainian publication attributes the successes to the activities of the Moldovan oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc and calls them “a successful combination of stars.” At the same time, Zerkalo Nedeli fears that if the socialists of the current President of Moldova, Igor Dodon, come to power, the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict will become more intense.

“The prospect of a victory in Moldova for openly pro-Russian socialists raises more concerns. It is possible that the President of Moldova, Igor Dodon, in the event of a victory for his party comrades, may propose a more radical option for transforming Moldova into a federation, with extremely broad rights for Transnistria,” the publication writes.

“Mirror of the Week” laments that the withdrawal of Russian troops and weapons from Transnistria was off the agenda

“Without this, it is hardly possible to seriously talk about any settlement. And how can we evaluate the position of the OSCE, which does not react in any way to the increasing frequency of exercises on the territory of Transnistria (including in the security zone) with the participation of the Pridnestrovian military and the Russian contingent?” the weekly magazine is indignant.

Zerkalo Nedeli believes that Ukraine needs to take into account the Transnistrian experience.

“The Republic of Moldova today is a kind of testing ground on which models and schemes are tested, which can subsequently be transferred to Ukrainian soil. In Ukraine, the conflict has not yet entered the “frozen” stage. But this does not mean that they will not try to “freeze” and “Transnistriaize” it in order to lead it along the well-worn track. But the main lesson of the Transnistrian settlement is simple: you should not recognize the separatists as a party to the negotiations,” the Ukrainian publication summarizes.