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Moldova’s Sandu Warns: EU Membership a “Matter of Survival” Against Russian Aggression
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned that her country must join the European Union to survive mounting Russian aggression, telling lawmakers in Strasbourg that Moscow has unleashed its full arsenal of hybrid warfare against the small Eastern European nation, according to Politico on September 9.
“That is why our European path is not just a matter of values, it is a matter of survival,” Sandu said in a speech to the European Parliament.
She accused the Kremlin of deploying disinformation, cyberattacks, and election meddling to destabilize Moldova, a country of just 2.4 million people sharing a long border with Ukraine.
“We face an unlimited hybrid war on a scale unseen before the full invasion of Ukraine,” Sandu declared, calling Russia “the greatest threat we face.”
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Moldova heads into a parliamentary election on September 28, which Sandu predicted Moscow would attempt to sway.
Last year’s referendum on EU membership, narrowly passing with 50.4% support, was marred by Russian interference. Sandu herself secured a second presidential term in a similarly razor-thin race against a pro-Russian candidate.
“Moscow’s goal is clear,” she warned. “To capture Moldova through the ballot box, to use us against Ukraine, and to turn us into a launchpad for hybrid attacks on the European Union.”
Moldova applied to join the EU in 2022 and has since pushed through reforms to its judiciary, economy, and governance. Sandu stressed that while the country is working “diligently,” Brussels should not expect perfection before granting it progress toward accession.
“We are not asking for shortcuts. We are doing our homework diligently,” she said. “But we are in a race against time to protect our democracy from Russia.”
Her plea comes as major EU states have rallied behind Moldova’s bid. The leaders of France, Germany, and Poland traveled to Chișinău last month in a show of solidarity.
Earlier, reports emerged that the European Union was considering separating Moldova from Ukraine in the accession process due to Hungary’s ongoing blockage of Kyiv’s efforts to join.
