Ukraine expresses its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova against the backdrop of statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow will make every effort to protect the Russian-speaking population of Moldova.

"Lavrov says Moscow will spare no effort in defending the Russian speaking population in Moldova. We have seen that. This was the exact false pretext Russia used to justify its invasion of Ukraine. We express our full support to Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said on Twitter.