Russia has never abandoned the question of withdrawing its peacekeepers from Transnistria, but such a decision can only be made following negotiations in the «5+2» format, said Russian Ambassador to Moldova Oleg Ozerov.

According to the diplomat, Moscow has repeatedly confirmed its readiness to take this step if certain conditions are met. He noted that this position was first expressed in Istanbul and has since been reiterated: any troop withdrawal must result from a negotiation process under the internationally recognized «5+2» framework.

In this format, Chisinau and Tiraspol are the conflict parties, Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE act as mediators, while the European Union and the United States participate as observers. The last meeting at the level of foreign ministers of the mediating and observing countries took place in Bratislava in autumn 2019.

Earlier, the Director of the Second CIS Department at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alexey Polishchuk, stated that Moscow would be ready to discuss the troop withdrawal from Transnistria if progress is made in the peace process.

Transnistria, where about 60 percent of the population are Russians and Ukrainians, sought independence from Moldova even before the USSR collapsed. Local residents feared that rising nationalism might lead to the republic joining Romania. After Chisinau’s failed attempt to resolve the issue by force in 1992, Transnistria effectively became a territory outside Moldovan control.