A special kind of summit was held in Moldova: almost all European heads of state swore their solidarity with the small ex-Soviet republic in the fight against the Russian threat – and not just for selfless reasons.
These pictures should go around the world. Above all, they should be seen in Moscow. Almost 50 heads of state and government from European countries have gathered for a “family picture” in front of Mimi Castle in Bulboaca, Moldova. Also present: the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj in an olive-colored field shirt, who was hugged and patted on the shoulder everywhere.
Not only the gestures are symbolic, but also the location: from here it is only about 40 kilometers to the Ukrainian border. The message is clear: we stand together against the aggressor Russia. More political middle fingers in the direction of Moscow is not possible.
The one-day meeting on Thursday is officially called the “European Political Community” (EPC) and is a kind of extended EU. 44 European country heads were invited. Almost everyone came – except for Vladimir Putin and the Belarusian President Lukashenko, who were not wanted, and the newly re-elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who canceled at very short notice.
The idea came from French President Emmanuel Macron. A first meeting took place in Prague last October. Not everyone is convinced of the format. Some fear the EU could use it as a “consolation prize” in lieu of EU membership. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama warned that accession negotiations must be continued without hesitation. Among the “older” accession candidates such as Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro, there is great concern that the “newcomers”, Moldova and above all Ukraine, could be given priority when joining while they are left out in the cold.
For Moldova, the summit is a guarantee of survival
But for Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her government, the summit meeting means much more than beautiful pictures, warm words and the demonstration that even a small country like Moldova can hold such a large meeting under the strictest security conditions.
It is their guarantee of survival that the guests give out of self-interest.
Because even if the majority of the population still supports Sandu’s pro-European course, the country is divided. The mass protests organized by the opposition and co-managed by Moscow, which have been going on for months, bear witness to this. Inflation of over 40 percent and high energy prices with stagnating wages have hit people. Many even have to save on food to make it through the month.
Worse still, the small republic (around 34,000 square kilometers, around 2.5 million inhabitants), which borders Romania – and thus the European Union – to the west and Ukraine to the north, south and east, is being marketed as Putin’s next target .
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In February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared Moldova an “anti-Russian project” by the West. In March, a paper leaked, said to have come from the Kremlin, describing how pro-Russian tendencies are trying to bring the former Soviet republic back on a pro-Kremlin course: by overthrowing the government and replacing it with Kremlin loyalists.
In NATO circles, military action by Russia is not unrealistic, despite the unabated war in Ukraine. If Putin comes under too much pressure, he could have Moldova attacked in order “to keep the escalation upper hand in another way,” says a NATO expert. Especially since Russian soldiers are already there: Around 1,500 of them have been stationed for years as a “peacekeeping force” in the breakaway region of Transnistria, which declared itself independent in 1992 but is controlled economically and politically by Moscow.
