Overview

• On Moldova’s Independence Day, the German chancellor, France’s president and Poland’s prime minister met President Maia Sandu in Chisinau and addressed tens of thousands at an evening rally.
• The trio pledged support for Moldova’s EU accession effort and said Europe would help counter disinformation and cyber campaigns they blamed on Russia.
• Sandu warned of paid protests, vote buying and online manipulation targeting the Sept. 28 parliamentary election, calling the pressure unprecedented.
• The leaders invoked the Weimar Triangle partnership to signal coordinated European backing as Russian troops remain stationed in the breakaway region of Transnistria.
• EU accession talks with Moldova began in June 2024, and Germany has provided financial, energy-security and cyber assistance, with officials portraying the coming vote as decisive for the country’s direction.