Overview
- EU foreign ministers approved a €120 million package from the European Peace Facility to buy a mid-range air-defence system for Moldova, a decision taken at their meeting on Monday.
- The sum is €20 million more than officials had expected and is the largest single security package Moldova has received through the EPF.
- An EU statement says the funding will improve the Moldovan Armed Forces' operational effectiveness and better protect civilians by financing the mid-range system.
- The approval came hours after reports of a Russian drone crash in Moldova, a timing that coverage links to growing spillover risks from the regional conflict.
- The EPF is an EU fund set up in 2021 and paid for by the 27 member states; with this pledge Moldova's EPF total rises to €317 million, making it the bloc's second-largest EPF recipient after Ukraine and prompting sharp criticism from Russian outlets that framed the move as provocation.