Ukraine Will Insist on Russian Troops from Transdniestria Withdrawing

The Ukrainian authorities will continue to support the territorial integrity of Moldova and insist on withdrawing Russian troops from Transdniestria, the country's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during his visit to Moldova. On December 10, Kuleba was paying a working visit in Chisinau, earlier he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova Aureliu Ciocoi, ria.ru reported. "We will continue to support the territorial integrity of Moldova in the process of the Transdniestrian settlement and jointly insist on withdrawing Russian troops from the Transdniestrian region," the website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry quoted Kuleba. It was noted that the parties also discussed the visit of Maia Sandu to Ukraine, which will be her first foreign visit as head of state. Kuleba invited as well the newly elected President of Moldova to take part in the activities of the Crimean Platform initiated by Ukraine. Earlier, Sandu said that the task force of the Russian military guarding warehouses with weapons should be withdrawn from the territory of Transdniestria and the weapons themselves should be removed, and also proposed leaving civilian observers in Transdniestria instead of peacekeepers under the OSCE auspices. The press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov noted that a change in the status quo could lead to destabilization in Transdniestria, the Russian Federation expects to discuss the topic of peacekeepers and the absence of "sharp movements."