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Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken intends to show his support for Moldova, threatened by Russia, and participate in a NATO assembly in the Czech Republic.
By Eduardo Wong
Report from Washington
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken plans to devote this week to pitching U. S. aid to nations facing hostile Russia and will visit Moldova and the Czech Republic, where he is scheduled to attend an assembly of NATO foreign ministers that will discuss how to strengthen Ukraine. .
Blinken, who made an overnight stop in Kyiv more than two weeks ago, traveled to Chisinau, Moldova’s capital, on Wednesday to meet with Maia Sandu, the country’s president, who is running for re-election. The European Union has scheduled a referendum on EU membership on the same day as the general elections in October.
He is expected to run against a pro-Russian candidate, and U. S. and European analysts say Moscow will most likely try to interfere in the election, as it has done in other votes in Europe. Biden’s leadership has spoken publicly about Russian agents. engaging in such interference by various means, ranging from hacking to intensifying social media campaigns and handing out cash to favored politicians.
U. S. officials said Blinken would hold talks with Sandu and other senior officials about potential threats to the country’s democratic processes, as well as efforts to disconnect the country from electricity generated in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria. Moldova recently ended its dependence on fuel imports from Russia.
“I hope he has a strong program for Moldova’s transition, whether it’s independence from power or less reliance on resources from the east, but also democracy in the face of Russian threats,” said James O’Brien, the undersecretary. Minister of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, he said Friday in a phone call with reporters.
Blinken plans to announce more key points about U. S. help in addressing those issues during his visit, Blinken said. O’Brien.
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