Kremlin: Russia's relations with Moldova are very tense

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia's relations with Moldova were very tense and it accused Moldovan leaders of pursuing an anti-Russian agenda, one week after Chisinau said it had foiled a Russian coup attempt.

Moldova's parliament last week approved a new pro-Western government after the previous administration resigned en masse following months of political and economic scandals.

The new government, led by Prime Minister Dorin Recean, has vowed to pursue a pro-European path and also called for the demilitarisation of the Transdniestria region - a Moscow-backed separatist region which borders Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia was acting "responsibly" with regard to peackeeping forces it has stationed in the breakaway region and warned Moldova against inflaming the situation further.

"Our relations with Moldova are already very tense," Peskov told reporters. "The leadership always focuses on everything anti-Russian, they are slipping into anti-Russian hysteria."

Moldova's President Maia Sandu - as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy - said earlier this month they had intelligence which suggested Russia was plotting a coup to "overthrow" the Moldovan authorities and sow chaos in the small former Soviet republic.

Russia has denied those claims, but Moscow has bristled at the possibility of Moldova - which is sandwiched between Ukraine and NATO member Romania - joining the European Union.