Spain is willing to accommodate 2,000 Ukrainian refugees from Moldova, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said during a visit to Chişinău.
Sánchez made the announcement on Friday (3 June) at a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in what was the first visit of a Spanish prime minister to the eastern European nation. The visit also coincided with the 100th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported.
Speaking in Chişinău, less than an hour from the Ukrainian border, Sánchez condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “brutal aggression” and expressed his country’s solidarity with Ukraine and its neighbours like Moldova, which are also suffering the consequences of the invasion.
“Spain is with Moldova,” said Sánchez, adding that he also supported Moldova’s territorial integrity and its internationally-recognised borders, which includes the breakaway state of Transnistria, a sliver of land along the Ukraine border that has a Russian army presence.
He also expressed his support for Moldova’s intention to join the EU.
Sandu said her country was traversing a “complicated” period, adding that Moldova had called for peace from the early stages of the war next door and had opened its borders to Ukrainian refugees.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also impacted Moldova’s economy, restricting its ability to export and import products across the border.
SOURCE: Euractive
