Russian Foreign Ministry Says Moldova Is ‘On the EU’s Credit Needle’

Overview

• Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued the characterization in an official comment published on the ministry’s site on January 21.
• Her statement asserts that Moldova’s socio-economic sphere fully depends on external financing.
• She identified the European Union as the primary source of that external funding.
• The comment uses the metaphor that Moldova ‘sits’ on a ‘credit needle’ of the EU.
• RIA Novosti published multiple items repeating the claim on January 21, and the coverage includes no responses from Moldovan or EU officials or supporting economic data.