Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is scheduled to visit Moldova and the Czech Republic this week to demonstrate U.S. support for countries facing a hostile Russia. Blinken is also scheduled to attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers to discuss ways to help Ukraine.
After spending an overnight night in Kiev more than two weeks ago, Blinken is scheduled to fly to Chisinau on Wednesday to meet with Moldova's President Maia Sandu, who is seeking re-election. Sandu has been a vocal supporter of Moldova's membership in the European Union and is planning a referendum on EU membership on the same day as the October general election.
She is expected to face a pro-Russian candidate, and U.S. and European analysts say Russia is likely to try to interfere in the election, as it has in other European elections. The Biden administration has publicly accused Russian agents of meddling using a range of methods, from hacking to fomenting election activity through social networks and funding its favorite politicians.
U.S. officials said Blinken will discuss potential threats to the country's democratic process and efforts to wean Moldova off electricity generated in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria. Moldova recently ended its reliance on Russian natural gas imports.
“We expect he will have a robust package of support for Moldova's transition that includes not only energy independence and reduced reliance on the East, but also support for democracy in the face of the Russian threat,” Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien said in a call with reporters on Friday.
O'Brien said Blinken plans to provide further details about U.S. assistance to address these issues during his visit.
He added that the secretary's message would “emphasize Moldova's progress on the path to European integration, the strengthening of democracy, and the threat posed by Russian interference in domestic processes.”
About 1,500 Russian troops are stationed in Transnistria, an eastern Moldova region that borders Ukraine, and U.S. officials are closely watching signs that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin might seek to annex the region. Russia has officially said it is seeking special status for Transnistria.
In the Czech Republic, which State Department officials are now calling the Czech Republic, at the direction of that country's government, Blinken is due to attend a two-day planning meeting at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and meet with Czech officials.
The NATO meeting in the capital, Prague, is intended to prepare for an 80th anniversary meeting of alliance leaders in Washington in July. The meeting is not expected to declare that Ukraine will now join NATO, a desire President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly expressed before and after Russia's all-out invasion began in 2022. But NATO officials in Prague are expected to work out details to show substantive support for Ukraine's progress toward NATO membership, which will be announced in July, O'Brien said.
Russian forces are stepping up their offensive in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv. Ukraine's war effort has been hampered by a shortage of weapons and ammunition and a dwindling number of citizens available to fight. President Biden recently signed into law a bill authorizing new military aid to Ukraine and Israel that was passed by Congress over opposition from some Republicans.
But Russia is rapidly producing military equipment, and U.S.-led sanctions against Russia have not blunted Russia's military-industrial capabilities, as U.S. officials once hoped. Biden and his aides say China has played a crucial role in bolstering Russia's arms production through dual-use sales and other exports. Blinken is expected to highlight China's support for Russia in talks with NATO nations in Prague.
