Podolyak on Conditions for Transnistria Reintegration: Russia’s War Defeat and Further EU Path

For the full reintegration of the Transnistrian region to the Republic of Moldova it is necessary to show citizens a clear model of the future and a perspective, which could be EU accession. On the other hand, the main obstacle - the Russian Federation must be removed. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, stated that on Wednesday in the program “Alternative with Iulia Budeci” on TV8. “The decision to start negotiations on Moldova’s accession to the European Union should indicate a prospect of the future for many people, including Transnistria. It is one thing to be in a criminal enclave with no prospects, and another thing to have the opportunity of becoming an EU member. This will change the mood in the Transnistrian region. They will eventually start to get rid of certain illusions. This is a complicated process, because propaganda works and the pro-Russian propaganda has a large scale,” Podolyak said. He said that even if the relations between the two banks improved, Russia, in its current format, would remain the main obstacle to Moldova’s unification. “There is a second component. If the Russian Federation ceases to exist in the current political form, loses the war, it will undoubtedly undergo a transformation and sharply reduce its capacity to support these kinds of enclaves: by propaganda, diplomatically and financially. Then events in Moldova will develop very quickly in the right direction. If the Russian Federation remains in the current form, it is obvious that Moscow will saturate these enclaves as much as possible with aggressive rhetoric and money in order to provoke the regions to cut off any talk about the prospects of Moldova’s European integration. Only Russia’s final defeat in this war will help many countries to acquire full-fledged subjectivity, finally secure their sovereign rights and resolve internal territorial conflicts that have long allowed the Kremlin to influence these countries,” Podolyak added. He summarized that the resolution of the Transnistrian problem depends only on two factors. The first is effective negotiations between Moldova and the European Union. This is a long process, but it will show a perspective of how people in Moldova can live in 5-10 years. The second is Russia’s defeat and its withdrawal from “pressure markets”. Then Russia would be deprived for some time of the ability to continue its “aggressive programs” in the enclaves of various countries. This will solve many problems and allow the states affected by Moscow’s actions to dramatically increase their economic and reintegration opportunities, the Kyiv representative believes.