U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has pledged $135 million in aid to Moldova for energy security and to counter Russian disinformation.
Blinken landed in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau early on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
Chisinau is Blinken’s first stop of a brief Europe tour aimed at solidifying Western support for Ukraine among NATO allies and neighbouring countries.
He announced the assistance at a news conference with President Maia Sandu.
America’s top diplomat said $85 million would go to bolster energy infrastructure and $50 million was aimed at overhauling the energy and farming industries and deterring disinformation.
“That in turn will bolster the ability of Moldovans to resist Russian interference, to hold free and fair elections, to continue down the path to the European Union and Western integration, to create more economic opportunity,” Blinken said.
Also, Blinken disclosed that the delivery of U.S. weapons to Ukraine is helping stabilize the frontline of the battlefield, adding that Washington was working hard to deliver more air defenses to Ukraine.
Blinken, said support for Ukraine tells Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly that he cannot outlast Ukraine.
Furthermore, Blinken praised what he said was the country’s extraordinary resilience despite “bullying” from Russia, efforts to spread disinformation and weaponizing corruption.
Blinken’s trip, organized around a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Prague, the Czech capital, comes amid concerns that Moldova are facing renewed threats from Russia.
Moldova has repeatedly accused Russia of conducting a “hybrid war” against the country, meddling in local elections and running vast disinformation campaigns to try to topple the government and derail its path toward joining the EU.
Russia has denied the accusations, but the Moldovan government is wary of Moscow’s intentions, particularly after Transnistrian authorities appealed to Moscow in February for “protection” due to what they said was increased pressure from Chisinau.
He planned to travel to the Czech Republic later.
Blinken Warns Of Lack Of day After Plan For Gaza
Blinken also used his time in Moldova to warn Israel about a lack of so-called “day after plan” for Gaza.
Israeli officials have not yet offered a clear vision for such a plan, but has indicated its plans to maintain a security presence in the enclave indefinitely.
Blinken warned that any plan that sees Israel remain in control would only lead to a “lasting insurgency”. He also said that Hamas cannot remain in power, but that a lack of a clear path forward will lead to “chaos, lawlessness, and a vacuum”.
He said Israel must assess how much “further incremental gains against Hamas, but gains that may not be durable…stacks up against some of the, again, unintended, but horrific consequences of military action in a place where the people you’re going after are so closely embedded with civilians.”
He said the mass civilian deaths in Rafah underscore the “the imperative, the urgency of having a clear plan”.
When asked if US weapons were used in Rafah strikes, Blinken replied, “I can’t tell you, as we meet here this evening, what weapons were used or how they were used.”
. “All of that needs to be the product of a deliberate, but also fast, investigation, and we’ll await the results.”
The reporter asking the question had noted that a State Department report released earlier this month said it was “reasonable to assess” that the weapons Washington provided to Israel have been used in violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza. The report did not call for weapons transfers to be halted.
Blinken then repeated the information that Israel has released about the strike, but added he could not “vouch” for it.
“I think we also see that even limited, focused, targeted attacks designed to deal with terrorists who killed innocent civilians that are plotting to kill more, even those kinds of operations can have terrible, horrific, unintended consequences,” he said.
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