Moldovan President says Moldova will do everything to preserve peace, but if Russia attacks, it will defend itself

Moldovan President Maia Sandu says that official Chisinau will focus its efforts on minimising the risk of Russian aggression against it but will defend itself in the event of such a scenario. 

Asked whether Moldova would resist in a hypothetical scenario if Russia invaded Moldova, the president said that her country would do everything to prevent a conflict. 

"We will do everything to prevent this from happening, including our European integration plan. First of all, it is a plan to ensure security because the EU is a project of peace," Sandu said in an interview with Russian blogger Yuriy Dud. 

"According to the constitution, we have to do everything to keep the peace and to protect our citizens. We have an army. We have a defence sector, and we are making these investments. But we really hope that this war will end soon and we will be able to invest in the economy and other sectors, and we will not be in a position where we are forced to invest in defence," the President added.

She was asked to answer the initial question about whether Moldova would resist in the event of an invasion.

"We will definitely defend our country," Sandu replied.

She also denied rumours that Kyiv had allegedly offered to help resolve the issue of unrecognised Transnistria by force.