Sandu: If Russian Troops Are Not Withdrawn from Transnistria, Moldova Will Join the EU in Two Stages

President Maia Sandu emphasized that the illegal presence of the Russian military remains the main obstacle to the country’s reintegration and admitted the possibility of Moldova’s gradual accession to the European Union. “We want the country to be reunited and insist on a peaceful reintegration. We want this to happen as soon as possible. The illegal presence of the Russian military is currently an obstacle to the country’s reintegration. If we do not find a solution or fail to convince Russia to withdraw its troops in the near future, there is a possibility of joining the EU in two stages: first the right bank, then the left,” Sandu said in an interview with moldpres.md. According to her, the residents of the region are not to blame for the situation, but the political power there is controlled by the Kremlin. “The residents of this region are not responsible for the current situation and for this separatism. On the contrary, more and more citizens understand the benefits of European integration, but the problem is that today the decisions are not made by them. The regime is supported by the Kremlin and, obviously, the region is being used by it,” the president said. Sandu stated that the example of Transnistria has demonstrated the real cost of “cheap Russian gas” and emphasized the need to invest in alternative energy sources. “The European Union has shown that it offers assistance in times of crisis. We have seen how the Russian Federation used the Transnistrian region, how it allowed people to freeze in the middle of winter, and I hope they understood what ‘cheap Russian gas’ really means: it exists only as long as it serves Russia’s interests. When it stops serving Russia’s interests, you can be left without energy and freeze in winter. That is why it is important for us to develop alternative options and continue investing in them,” Sandu said. “In terms of energy, Moldova has managed to find alternative sources of natural gas supplies. We have invested and continue to invest heavily in renewable energy sources, which gives us even greater independence and will eventually help lower prices so that we don’t spend so much money on energy resources. It is very unfortunate that we had to wait 34 years to achieve this energy independence, but it is good that, at least after three decades – after 34 years of independence – we can finally speak truly about the country’s energy independence,” she added.