U.S. top diplomat Blinken reassures Moldova amid refugee influx from Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sits at a meeting with Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita at the Government House in Chisinau, Moldova March 6, 2022. Olivier Douliery/Pool via REUTERS

CHISINAU, Moldova (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday reassured Moldova’s leaders that the United States would rally international opposition to Russian aggression "whenever and wherever" it occurs.

Speaking alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu on a tour through eastern Europe in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Blinken also said that the United States supported Moldova's aspirations to join the European Union but that the process would be decided by the EU.