Moldovan President Maia Sandu says her country needs interceptor drones due to the war in neighboring Ukraine.
Moldova, which wants to join the European Union by 2030, has faced repeated incidents of Russian drones flying over the country and debris landing close to its border.
Sandu who has rebuked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pointed out an incident where a Russian drone hit an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galati, which is close to Moldova and Ukraine, injuring two people.
She said Moldova needs legislation to develop its arms industry, in a podcast with a Moldovan blogger that was broadcast on Sunday. Moldova is a neutral state according to its constitution.
“Those who want our country to be completely defenseless must understand that there is a risk that drones will fall on us and we won’t be able to do anything about it,” she said.
“I have asked the government, particularly in the context of recent events, to begin introducing or preparing legislative amendments.”
Legislation would allow for weapons capacity to be developed with public and private partnerships as well as attracting foreign investors.
Sandu said Moldova was already in consultations on developing drones with Ukraine, which has become a world leader in more than four years of countering Russian drones and has focused on the production of interceptors.
“Ukrainians are the best in terms of interceptor drones,” she said. “We will try to secure technology from there to the extent that we can with our capabilities. In order to use these technologies, we must first build up a team of experts.”
