CHISINAU, August 11. /TASS/. Moldovan President Maia Sandu and the government of her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, acting under pressure from Western handlers, are seeking pretexts to further scale back the republic’s relations with Moscow, the Russian Embassy in Moldova said in a statement following Chisinau’s decision to recall Ambassador Lilian Darii from the capital for consultations.

"There is a strong impression that the Moldovan leadership, pushed by external handlers, deliberately sought a pretext to further scale back the already limited Russian-Moldovan contacts. Recalling the Moldovan ambassador to Russia ‘for consultations’ is another step along this destructive path," the statement said.

The embassy called on the Moldovan authorities to refrain from further escalatory steps, which, "as practice shows, primarily harm the interests of Moldovan citizens." The diplomats said that Russia is not seeking confrontation with Moldova in any form and remains open to constructive, mutually respectful dialogue if Moldova demonstrates reciprocal willingness.

Moldova’s Foreign Ministry earlier said that Darii had been recalled for consultations after drone debris was discovered in the south of the country. As before, no evidence was provided of Russia’s involvement.

Drone debris that entered Moldova from Ukraine has been found in the country before, but the authorities have not provided evidence that it belonged to either side in the conflict. Moscow has repeatedly said that strikes during the special military operation target only military facilities and related energy infrastructure in Ukraine and do not violate neighboring countries’ airspace, while such incidents in border areas are often linked to the actions of Ukrainian air defense systems.