Moscow’s aggression against the Republic of Moldova, in the Transnistrian region, had a serious impact on the policies of Chisinau, director of the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center John Herbst stated in an interview for Radio Free Europe. According to Herbst, this aggression forced the Government of Moldova to formulate more reserved polices, including as regards the relationship with the European Union and the West, IPN reports.

John Herbst said the aggression in Donbas had lesser influence on the policies of the Government of Ukraine. On the other hand, it forced the Ukrainian authorities to allot time and money as they were involved in a war and were forced to take care of the over 1 million and a half of internally displaced people. This puts an enormous burden on the Ukrainian economy. “So, in the case of Ukraine, it was this way stabilized,” stated John Herbst

The director of the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center is skeptical about the possibility of resolving these conflicts. “I think this can happen eventually after the administration in the Russian Federation is changed,” he said.

According to John Herbst, the new U.S. administration will have a serious impact on Moldova’s development. “I believe you will see a powerful American administration for the benefit of the Republic of Moldova and the region,” he stated.