Germany, Poland, and France Stand Firm Behind Moldova’s Pro-EU President Ahead of September Vote
European leaders have reaffirmed their support for Moldova’s pro-European President Maia Sandu as the country prepares for a pivotal parliamentary election on September 28, where pro-EU and pro-Russian forces are set to clash.
During an Independence Day visit to Chisinau, French President Emmanuel Macron, German politician Friedrich Merz, and Polish statesman Donald Tusk praised Moldova’s resilience amid what the Moldovan government and Western allies describe as interference from Moscow.
Moldova, a majority Romanian-speaking nation of 2.5 million people situated between Romania and Ukraine, has historically alternated between pro-Western and pro-Russian governments. Russia maintains troops in a breakaway, Russian-speaking region that seceded after a brief conflict in the early 1990s, though Moscow denies involvement in Moldova’s elections.
Marking its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union, Moldova has pursued closer ties with the EU, formally applying for membership alongside Ukraine shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022. A referendum last year narrowly supported EU integration, but Sandu faces a strong challenge from anti-EU opposition parties.
“Independence is not guaranteed; it depends on the choices we make,” Sandu warned, citing threats from disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, illegal foreign financing, and paid protests.
Merz pledged German and European support to help Moldova begin the first stage of EU accession talks in the autumn. “We will send experts to support reforms,” he said, adding that German and EU funds are bolstering energy security and small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Macron criticized Kremlin propaganda claiming the EU seeks to prolong the war or oppress populations, calling it “lies.” Tusk stressed Moldova’s strategic importance, stating: “There is no safe EU, no safe Poland, no safe France or Germany without an independent and safe Moldova.”
Polls indicate a tightly contested race between Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity and the pro-Russian Communist and Socialist bloc, underscoring the stakes for Moldova’s future direction toward the European Union.
