In Moldova, a minister criticized the mayor of Chisinau for reaching out to Zelenskyy
Chisinau Mayor Ion Cheban appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asking him to personally get involved in resolving the water supply problem in Moldova. Environment Minister Gheorghe Hazder criticized the mayor for making such an appeal.
In a video message posted on social media, Ceban said he would send a letter to the President of Ukraine on his own behalf and on behalf of the residents of Chisinau and central Moldova.
“I am officially appealing to the administration in Kyiv and, in particular, to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy… I am asking for direct and personal involvement in resolving the water supply situation in Moldova. I am confident that the Ukrainian administration, together with its citizens, will not allow the residents of Moldova to be left without water,” Cheban stated.
He added that a potential water supply crisis could cause very serious problems. “I am calling for help, and I say this sincerely. Unfortunately, I do not trust the Moldovan leadership, as I do not believe it will be able to handle this situation,” Cheban said.
Environment Minister Gheorghe Hazder criticized the capital’s mayor for this, noting that he would be better off addressing the outdated infrastructure and investing more in the water supply.
“We’re talking about outdated pipes in Chisinau that could fail at any moment, and an outdated water intake station built in 1974… We need a new station adapted to current conditions. So he would be better off focusing on what he is obligated to do and leaving these issues alone—issues that, for the most part, do not concern any particular country, because we’re talking about climate change and the fact that less water is accumulating in the reservoir,” the minister said.
The publication notes that in mid-July, Ukraine proposed reducing the volume of water released from the Dniester Reservoir from 100 to 70 cubic meters per second in order to preserve reserves in case of a prolonged drought. The Moldovan side requested that the current discharge rate be maintained until the end of July. Ukraine agreed to this proposal.
At the same time, on July 17, Khazder warned that Chisinau could face water supply disruptions due to the drop in water levels in the Dniester Reservoir. He demanded that Mayor Ion Ceban report whether the capital had backup water sources that could be quickly tapped in the event of a crisis. In response, Cheban called the problem “artificial” and accused the central government of attempting to “leave Chisinau without water.”
This was reported by Newsmaker.
As a reminder, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned its citizens about heightened checks, interrogations lasting several hours, and instances of coercion to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense when attempting to enter Russian territory.
Moldova wants to use peace talks with Russia to reclaim Transnistria.
Sandu called on the EU to immediately open all negotiation clusters to Moldova.
The EU responded to the question of whether Ukraine and Moldova would join simultaneously.
