MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky, along with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, may organize acts of provocation in the unrecognized republic of Transnistria amid the Russia-US talks on Ukraine, Igor Dodon, the leader of Moldova’s Party of Socialists and former president of the country, told TASS in an interview.
"I think that if [US President Donald] Trump and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin come to an agreement on Ukraine, Zelensky will have a choice to either accept it or organize some kind of provocations. And then risks of provocations in Transnistria with Maia Sandu involved in them would be possible. This will be even worse for both Sandu and Zelensky, but it cannot be ruled out," he said.
In April 2023, a series of terrorist attacks took place in Transnistria. Transnistria’s President Vadim Krasnoselsky said at the time that the acts of sabotage were organized from the territory of Ukraine and also accused Moldovan secret services of involvement. The maximum terrorist threat alert was introduced in the unrecognized republic.
In recent weeks, communication between Russia and the United States has intensified. On February 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump held a telephone conversation. The presidents discussed a wide range of topics, including the Ukrainian conflict, bilateral relations and the exchange of citizens. On February 18, high-ranking delegations from Russia and the United States met in Riyadh. Following the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that the parties had reached an agreement on the speedy appointment of Russian ambassadors to Washington and US envoys to Moscow, as well as on the removal of long-standing obstacles in the work of Russian embassies. The US State Department noted that Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed to create negotiating groups on Ukraine.