Russia failed to undermine Moldova’s election, including a referendum on joining the European Union, the White House said Monday.
The referendum passed with a razor-thin majority, while pro-European incumbent President Maia Sandu managed to come first in a key electoral test for her leadership of the former Soviet republic.
Moscow has “been working actively to undermine Moldova’s election and their European integration,” but “Russia did not succeed — as the results demonstrate, Moldovan democracy is strong,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.
Kirby has repeatedly warned that Russia was seeking to interfere in Moldova, saying last week that Moscow had spent millions of dollars on its efforts.
Sandu is expected to face a tough second-round presidential vote on November 3, and Kirby said that “we have every expectation that the Russians are going to want to try to affect that runoff.”
“We gotta make sure we continue to work with the Moldovans… to ensure that that runoff is done in a way that respects and is appropriate to the aspirations of the electorate in Moldova,” he added.
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