Sandu denied rumors that Ukraine allegedly offered to “close the issue” with Transnistria by force

The President of Moldova Maia Sandu denied rumors that Kyiv allegedly offered to help resolve the issue with the unrecognized Transnistria by force.

She said this in an interview with Russian blogger Yuriy Dud.

The interviewer asked her whether, during the full-scale war, there were indeed offers from Ukraine to help Chisinau "close the issue" with Transnistria, where a small number of Russian troops are still stationed.

"There were never any such official statements — what we read, what some people said in the mass media... But officially — I say with full responsibility — there were no such proposals. And unofficially too. There was no such offer from the officials," Maia Sandu replied.

According to her, Moldova sees a solution to the Transnistrian conflict only by peaceful means.

"We will not agree to this by military means," added the President of Moldova.

• Transnistria is an administrative unit within Moldova that has the status of autonomy. In 1990, PMR declared sovereignty over this territory. In connection with this, an armed conflict began between Moldova and the self-proclaimed republic. In the summer of 1992, hostilities ended. In the mid-1990s, a contingent of Russian peacekeeping forces was sent to Transnistria. The political conflict has not been settled yet. The world community does not recognize the independence of Transnistria. In 2022, after the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recognized Transnistria as Russian-occupied territory.