French, German, Polish leaders to visit Moldova in show of force

THE leaders of France, Germany and Poland are due in Moldova yesterday in a show of support, a day before campaigning starts for next month's tense parliamentary election amid claims of Russian interference in the pro-EU nation bordering Ukraine.

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French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will meet Moldova's President Maia Sandu to celebrate the country’s 34th independence day as she pushes for EU membership.

“This is a show of support by European leaders for Moldova as Russia ramps up its interference activities ahead of the high-stakes elections,” the Moldovan presidency said in a statement.

Sandu and her European allies have repeatedly accused Moscow of attempts to destabilise the former Soviet republic that lies between war-torn Ukraine and EU and Nato member Romania.

A vocal critic of Russia, in particular since the start of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sandu has been steering Moldova through official EU accession talks that started in June 2024.