The Japan Times - French, German, Polish leaders to visit Moldova in show of force in face of Russia

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 to AFP.

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.

- 'Intimidation' -

The three EU leaders will give a press statement alongside Sandu on Wednesday afternoon, before a dinner.

They will then give speeches during the official independence day celebrations held on Chisinau's Independence Square, with a concert concluding the evening.

Macron, Merz and Tusk want to reaffirm their "support for Moldova's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," a French presidential adviser told journalists.

They also want to support Moldova's "European trajectory".

"We cannot ignore the consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which directly affects Moldova," he said.

"Moldova is threatened by Russia," he added, referring to Moscow's "interference and meddling" and its "playbook" of "intimidation", "sovereignty obstructions" and "exploitation of separatism".

In the east of the country is the pro-Moscow separatist region of Transnistria, where Russian troops are stationed.

- 'Symbolic message' -

"The visit is really a strong sign of support, and it is a symbolic message to Russia that top European countries care and follow what happens here," political analyst Valeriu Pasha of the Chisinau-based think tank Watchdog told AFP.

He added it was the first visit of the so-called Weimar Triangle leaders together in Moldova.

While Sandu's PAS party is likely to top parliamentary elections at the end of September, the outcome is hard to predict given the "huge Russian interference in elections, with crazy amounts of money pumped in" amid voter concerns about economic difficulties and high inflation, Pasha said.

Sandu, re-elected for a second term in 2024, last month accused Russia of "preparing an unprecedented interference in the September elections" to "control Moldova from the fall".

The interference includes vote buying and illicit financing through cryptocurrencies for which "100 million euros" have been earmarked, Sandu has alleged.

The three EU leaders' visit comes as the US-led drive for Russia-Ukraine peace talks seems to be stalling.

Germany and France have both said the ball is now in Russian President Vladimir Putin's court.

K.Abe--JT