Moldovan President Maia Sandu has warned that Russia will not stop if it conquers Ukraine and will threaten the rest of Europe.
Sandu made the comments on Thursday as she signed a key bilateral defense and cooperation pact with France.
“If the aggressor is not stopped, he will keep going, and the front line will keep moving closer. Closer to us. Closer to you,” she said after signing the deal in Paris with her French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron.
“Europe must therefore present a united front. Aggression must be repelled by a strong force,” she added.
Macron responded, pledging France’s “unwavering support” for Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries.
France and Moldova reached an initial agreement in September 2023 on training military personnel, regular consultations on defense, and intelligence sharing.
Sandu has said Moscow is working to undermine Moldova’s stability and dislocate the country from its path toward European integration ahead of a presidential election this year and a referendum on European Union membership.
Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) has issued a warning about Russia’s plans to disrupt Moldova’s efforts to move away from decades of Moscow’s influence and move closer to the West.
“Moscow wants to destabilize the situation in Moldova, Moscow want to intimidate Moldova’s citizens, especially since this year we may have a referendum on Moldova joining the EU — at least that is my proposal and I hope Moldova’s parliament will back it,” Sandu said in Chisinau.
The pro-Western Sandu will face reelection later this year after her surprise defeat of pro-Moscow candidate Igor Dodon in 2020.
Moldova received an invitation to open accession negotiations with the 27-member bloc in 2022.
Non-aligned Moldova has strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine which it shares a border with along with EU and NATO member Romania.
VIDEO | Moldova’s pro-EU President Sandu accuses Russia of coup plot
