; Whereas the United States Government supports the democratic aspirations of the people of Moldova and their expressed desire to deepen their association with the European Union; Whereas in a judgment in 2004, the European Court of Human Rights found that Transnistria was formed with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation and considered it under the effective authority or at least decisive influence of Russia ; Whereas the United States supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova and on that basis participates as an observer in the 5+2 negotiations to find a comprehensive settlement that will provide a special status for the separatist region of Transnistria in Moldova; Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation banned the import of Moldovan wine in 2013 and Moldovan meats and produce in 2014, and has threatened to ban Moldovan agricultural products, curtail the supply of energy resources to Moldova, and impose stricter labor migration policies on the people of Moldova; Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation maintains a contingent of Russian troops and a stockpile of Russian military equipment and ammunition within the Transnistria region; Whereas by September 2016, the Government of the Russian Federation had issued Russian passports to an estimated 180,000 residents of the Transnistria region; Whereas the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Government of Moldova have called upon the Government of the Russian Federation to remove its troops from Moldovan territory; Whereas in May 2017, the Constitutional Court of Moldova ruled that Moldova’s constitutional neutrality means that the presence of foreign troops in Moldova is unconstitutional; Whereas in July 2017, the Moldovan Parliament adopted a declaration calling on the Government of the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops from Moldova