DISINFO: The US forces Romania to annex Moldova to make it anti-Russian
SUMMARY
The United States is forcing Romania to annex Moldova [...] Washington and Brussels actually want Moldova to break with Russia and later, turn it into an enemy of Russia after Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying Romania as a country with imperialistic ambitions, questioning Moldova's integrity and sovereignty, and claiming there are attempts to turn it into a 'second Ukraine'.
"Turning Moldova into an enemy of Russia after Ukraine" implies that the US and the EU are responsible for the war in Ukraine. This is one of the key messages of Putin’s propaganda around his war in Ukraine.
It was Putin’s personal decision to invade Ukraine and start the largest military conflict in Europe since WWII.
Romania has no territorial claims upon Moldova. Romania is a sovereign state which decides its own foreign policy. The development of the relationship with the Republic of Moldova is a priority of Romania's foreign policy, based on the communion of history, language, traditions and culture and on supporting the European aspirations of the neighbouring state.
Moldova has been a sovereign and independent state since 1992 when it proclaimed its independence from the former USSR. As a sovereign state, Moldova is free to decide its own foreign policy and alliances.
Moldova is a militarily neutral state, as stipulated by its Constitution (Article 11).
On February 13 2023, Moldovan president Maia Sandu stated that the Moldovan government believes Russia has plans to destabilise the internal situation in Moldova in order to topple the democratically elected government.
See similar cases claiming that the West is considering making Moldova "the second Ukraine"; that the West wants to make a second Ukraine out of Moldova; Bucharest has a project to absorb Moldova, Transnistria and some regions of Ukraine, that Moldova is just one of the stages of Romania's expansionist strategy in the East.