Blinken to support Moldova's Western hopes against Russia

Blinken will spend a day in Moldova at a time when Russia is scoring a seriesof battlefield victories in neighbouring Ukraine.
The visit coincides with a move by Georgia, another former Soviet republic,which Tuesday rammed through a law against "foreign influence" seen asinspired by the Kremlin.
Russian troops have been stationed for decades in Moldova's breakaway regionof Transnistria, where speculation grew earlier this year that Moscow wouldattempt outright annexation, reports BSS.
Blinken will announce "a robust package of support" for Moldova, said JimO'Brien, the US assistant secretary of state for Europe.
He said the aid would focus in part on energy. Moldova until recentlyimported nearly all its natural gas from Russia but has been seeking todiversify.
O'Brien said Blinken would also announce measures to boost democracy andcounter disinformation ahead of elections later this year in which pro-European President Maia Sandu is seeking a new term.
O'Brien described Sandu's track record as a "success" but said she has been"a target of Russian disinformation and aggressive operations" since themoment she took office.
"Obviously the people of Moldova will have a chance to decide. We want themto decide in a free and fair environment with as little interference ordisinformation as possible," O'Brien told reporters.
Blinken's trip comes a week after the European Union signed a security anddefence pact with Moldova that is also aimed at helping the country defendagainst Russian threats, including in cyber security.
- Moldova back on agenda -
Moldovan foreign minister Mihai Popsoi called Blinken's visit a "strongsignal of political and financial support" to the country.
"While some do everything to put us in difficulty, others come and help usand extend us this hand of friendly help to overcome these difficulties thatothers create for us, for which we are extremely grateful," he said, likelyalluding to Russia.
Blinken last visited the tiny country weeks after Russia's 2022 invasion ofUkraine, when some made gloomy predictions that Moscow would also strikeMoldova.
US officials say they no longer see an imminent threat from Russia, which hasaround 1,500 troops in Transnistria, but they are taking no chances.
Russia launched an assault on Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region two weeksago, seeking to press its advantage before US weapons reach the front lines.
The clock is ticking down to the US presidential election in November.
President Joe Biden's Republican challenger, Donald Trump, has voicedadmiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Andrei Curararu, a security expert and co-founder of WatchDog.md, a thinktank based in Moldova, said Blinken's 2022 visit had come at a time of"extreme alert" and uncertainty.
He said the latest trip could lay the groundwork for a more formal bilateralsecurity agreement with the United States of the sort Moldova has reachedwith France.
"A visit of this level also speaks to the fact that the Republic of Moldovais back on the US agenda," he said.
"(It is) also about possible risks and threats to national security," hesaid.