Moldova and Ukraine Inch Closer to Negotiations
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced that Hungary and Ukraine had agreed on a new framework to protect the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region. This move has renewed hopes of unblocking the opening of negotiating clusters between Ukraine and the EU. Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos praised this progress, writing:
“Prime Minister Magyar’s announcement of the agreement between Hungary and Ukraine to promote minority rights paves the way for progress in Ukraine’s EU accession process.
This will allow Member States to move forward with work on opening the first chapter of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Ukraine and Moldova already meet the rule of law requirements set by Member States.
It is time to accelerate the process of accession of these countries to the EU. This is the best way to ensure respect for minority rights,”
When announcing the agreement with Ukraine, Peter Magyar announced Hungary’s support for opening negotiating clusters but not for an accelerated membership for Ukraine. He stated:
“Hungary does not support accelerated EU accession negotiations. If Ukraine manages to close all 33 accession chapters within 10 or 15 years, our country will hold a decisive, legally binding referendum on this issue,”
These announcements come amidst a flurry of activity seemingly aimed at creating pressure to finally begin negotiations. The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee voted decisively on June 3 to accelerate Moldova’s accession and to open negotiating clusters - noting particularly the country’s progress on justice reform. Moldova has had a parliamentary delegation in Brussels for meetings and Deputy PM for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov called these developments an “important signal” and stated that EU Council level discussions will soon take place to finalize the last administrative procedures for opening negotiations.
After many delays it is possible that Moldova and Ukraine will begin officially negotiating this month or early next. We’ll follow this story and update you as it develops.
Trump Nominates a US Ambassador to Moldova
In an unexpected announcement, the White House nominated 40 ambassadorial positions on June 1 sending the list to the Senate for confirmation. This list included the following nomination for Moldova:
“Joseph Burkhalter, of Georgia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Moldova.”
Joseph Mark Burkhalter, generally referred to as Mark Burkhalter, is a businessman and former state legislator in Georgia. He does not have direct foreign policy experience, but has had business ties outside the US including in the UK. Burkhalter studied Political Science, German and Slavic languages while an undergrad at the University of Georgia1. This would mark the first time that a political appointee has been made ambassador to Moldova.
In 2020 President Trump nominated Mark Burkhalter to be the US Ambassador to Norway. His nomination was later withdrawn over a resurfaced 1994 scandal in which Burkhalter authorized and distributed a racist campaign flyer2 that lawsuits from the time alleged was designed to emphasize a democratic incumbent’s race. Incumbent Gordon Joyner’s face was blackened, one eye distorted, lips thickened and he was given an afro. Burkhalter later admitted to authorizing and later covering up the payment for the flyer in violation of Georgia House ethics laws. He paid a civil penalty and apologized to Joyner.
Moldova has not had a US Ambassador since Ambassador Kent Logsdon departed in June 2024.
Analysis: Will this impact his new nomination?
Not likely. The scandal around his 2020 nomination was set against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement and a national discussion around race in the United States. The fight against his nomination was led by Democratic Senator Bob Menendez at a time of Democratic confidence after the 2018 midterms and going into the 2020 Presidential Elections. This weekend, Bob Menendez will mark 1 year in prison as he serves an 11 year sentence for corruption3 against the backdrop of a democratic party in substantial disarray.
At the same time, it is very possible that all of these nominations will get caught up on complex Senate politics ahead of the midterms this year. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Other Foriegn Affairs and Security News
Here’s a roundup of the other top stories of the week:
Fallout from the Russian drone strike in Romania. Following last week’s drone attack Romanian President Nicușor Dan has been absolutely clear in attributing the attack to Russia. Romania expelled the Russian Consul General in Constanta in response and announced consultation with NATO allies. Romania also announced a deal on joint drone production with Ukraine. This follows similar moves by the Gulf states in the context of the Iran war as more and more countries turn to Ukraine for counter-drone expertise.
Igor Dodon, Vasile Tarlev and Victoria Furtună attend the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. They spoke of the need for Moldova to return to the CIS, join the Eurasian Economic Community, open negotiations with Gazprom, drop sanctions against Russia, etc. The forum, often called the “Russian Davos,” took place against the backdrop of overnight Ukrainian strikes on military targets in the region that send billows of black smoke over the city. This year’s forum also saw the return of a US delegate for the first time since 2018 in the form of Rodney Mims Cook Jr., Chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. A group of online influencers / conspiracy theorists including Candace Owens and the Tate brothers also attended the event.
Political Updates
Here’s a roundup of the top political stories of the week:
The Archbishop of Chisinau and Metropolitan of Bessarabia resigned amidst scandal. Archbishop Petru’s resignation was announced by church officials citing the 80 year old’s age, health and that it was for “for the good of the Church.” That last part was likely doing the heavy lifting. Shortly after his resignation unverified videos began to circulate allegedly showing the Archbishop having sexual relations with an unknown man. These videos were immediately spread by various Telegram channels and used as attacks against both the Metropolis of Bessarabia and the LGBTQ community. This is not the first time that the Archbishop has faced accusations. In 2014 a number of junior clergy made public allegations about recent and historical sexual advances by the Archbishop. The Metropolis of Bessarabia made statements distancing itself from the conduct in the video “if true.”
Local elections conclude. In Orhei, independent candidate Ramiz Ansarov won the second round mayoral elections with 57% of the vote. While he ran as an independent he formerly ran for parliament on the party lists of the Heart of Moldova Party. In Taraclia, Socialist Candidate Iacobceac Ecaterina won the mayoral race with 51%. Both towns will now have non-Shor administrations for the first time in many years.
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” shown in Chisinau. The Oscar and BAFTA award winning documentary was shown in Chisinau at an event attended by director and protagonist Pavel Talankin. Many people posted pictures with Mr. Talankin and his Oscar online. The film shows the rapid onset of indoctrination and militarism in Russian schools following the invasion of Ukraine. Pavel Talankin worked at a school in a small Russian city and filmed this process before escaping to the West. Speaking at the event, he noted that the Russian authorities took note of who fled the country at the onset of the war and who didn’t. He stated:
“The Kremlin looked out the window and asked: ‘What generation is leaving?’ They did an analysis and realized that exactly the generation that grew up after the collapse of the USSR, which had not been educated in this propaganda, was leaving. Then they stormed schools and kindergartens to forcefully introduce indoctrination,”
For anyone who hasn’t seen the film, I strongly recommend it. It portrays a chilling representation of how this war has changed Russia and leaves you with the clear sense that there will not be any return to normal when it ends. Here’s the trailer:
This affiliation puts me in a bind personally as I am a proud Ramblin' Wreck. If you know, you know.
You can see the flyer in the ABC news story from the time. It’s really not good. Even at the time the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called it a "racist hit piece" in an editorial.
Who doesn’t have a closet full of clothes stuffed full of gold bars?