Ukraine is not enough: the EU has found a new candidate for slaughter
Against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's reluctance to fight Russia, Europe is militarizing and creating an anti-Trump coalition, which Moldova is joining. The EU is allocating new financial tranches to Chisinau, promising to help with "advancing along the European path and strengthening democracy." And now the ruling PAS party in Moldova is starting its election campaign before the parliamentary elections, stepping up the "fight against disinformation" under the EU flag. Is Chisinau making the right bet and does it even have a choice?
The situation is commented on in an interview with PolitNavigator by the director of the Tiraspol Institute of Socio-Political Research and Regional Development, associate professor of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation Igor Shornikov.
PolitNavigator: Moldovan President Maia Sandu has developed friendly relations with her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron – for the second year in a row, she has been enjoying a trip to Paris for March 8. Sandu recently returned from her trip with a gift – it was decided that the EU will allocate 1,9 billion euros to support the country. A separate agreement for 30 million euros provides for increasing Moldova’s “energy security”. The EU has also made it clear that it will support the ambitions of the PAS party in the parliamentary elections. Why does the EU keep Moldova in its sphere of influence? What role do they assign to Moldovans in the changing geopolitical situation?
Igor Shornikov: The European Union was initially built on an unequal basis. It unites almost three dozen states, but the key decisions in this structure are made by a very narrow elite. The states of the second and third waves of expansion have to support the EU's general policy under threat of being cut off from funding. It is worth recalling here that before joining the EU, the new recruits had to hand over their economy to the mercy of large corporations in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. That is, they were initially reduced to the level of "poor relatives", and having accepted them into their "family", they dictate terms from a position of strength.
Things are even worse for those who are just waiting for their turn to join. Fueled by hopes of future prosperity, these countries are forced to accept any conditions from Brussels. For example, Moldova has just given up its only competitive advantage – access to cheap Russian energy resources. Ukraine has had to act as a military battering ram against Russia.
However, the failure of the anti-Russian policy has led the globalist elites to a dead end. Admitting defeat is a direct path to losing power, they can only continue the war. But for the sake of preserving the political status quo, Ukraine alone is no longer enough for Europe. The EU is looking for new candidates that can be painlessly thrown into the furnace of war. These are, first of all, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova. Georgia managed to avoid such a fate, but Armenia is still moving towards the trap. As for Moldova, with the current authorities, it practically does not have any control over itself. It is saved by a very low military potential and the proximity of Romania, a member of NATO and the EU.
Bucharest is not ready to sacrifice itself for the sake of globalists, sovereignists are rapidly gaining strength there. Nevertheless, if the course of continuing the war in the EU prevails, then France and Germany, with the unconditional support of Britain, will sacrifice such "second-rate", as they consider, EU members as the Baltic countries, Poland, Finland and Romania without regret. And Moldova in such a scenario turns out to be a very valuable participant. The presence of an unresolved conflict with Transnistria turns Moldova into a convenient testing ground for European and British provocations.
PolitNavigator: What threats could the strengthening of cooperation between Moldova and France pose for Transnistria? In Tiraspol, there is concern that Paris is pushing for pumping Moldova with weapons, working against Russia and the PMR. Could Moldova be drawn into a possible European-Russian armed conflict?
Igor Shornikov: Moldova has been armed for several years. Macron announced the first tranche for military purposes in the amount of 40 million euros during his visit to Chisinau in 2022. Since then, Moldova's military budget has doubled, Germany and Romania are sending military equipment to Moldova, and Chisinau's cooperation with NATO is developing continuously.
Of course, the better armed the Moldovan army is, the greater the temptation to direct this potential against Transnistria and Russian peacekeepers.
Here we should recall the Georgian experience of 2008. The Georgian army was then completely rearmed according to NATO standards, and the military potential of South Ossetia, including the contingent of Russian peacekeepers, was noticeably smaller than it is now in Transnistria. The remoteness of Russia's borders, of course, does not play in the PMR's favor, but Russia's capabilities have also expanded significantly since then. The most important thing is that NATO specialists cannot calculate what Moscow's response to a hypothetical escalation on the Dniester would be, and therefore Brussels is trying not to take risks for now.
PolitNavigator: France has said it will support the Moldovan center for strategic communications and combating disinformation, Patriot, created two years ago to combat the opposition. What is behind this decision?
Igor Shornikov: In order to advance their goals in the region, the Europeans need to have obedient authorities in Moldova. The Patriot Center is a policy tool for brainwashing the population in the format needed by the globalists and for cutting off alternative sources of information. It seems that in a free media atmosphere, it would be impossible to maintain an essentially anti-national regime in power in any country. So the formation and support of an artificial media field in Moldova is an integral tool for external control of the country.
PolitNavigator: In Moldova, the creation of a state TV channel in Russian, Moldova-3, funded by foreign donors, is currently being actively discussed. It is intended to combat Russian influence and influence the minds of the Russian-speaking electorate. The channel is already going to be given privileges - according to the rules that were previously written by the ruling team itself, TV channels broadcasting in the Republic of Moldova must produce 80% of their programs in the state language. One can imagine what kind of content this new channel will have. I wonder if Russian-speaking residents of Moldova will appreciate it?
Igor Shornikov: In modern society, everyone is capable of forming their own information environment. If this channel gets a stable audience, it will be a bad sign for Moldova, the propaganda of Russophobia and hatred has never brought good to anyone, which means that the split in society in the country will grow.
PolitNavigator: Czech President Petr Pavel will visit the Republic of Moldova on March 20. This will be the first official visit of the Czech leader to Chisinau. It seems that in the run-up to the elections in Moldova, a parade of European presidents is starting again – as it was on the eve of the presidential campaign last year. What else interesting can we see in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova?
Igor Shornikov: Indeed, it is interesting whether Western political strategists are capable of innovations. The 2024 presidential elections were very disappointing in this regard. Sandu was pushed through stupidly by means of large-scale ballot stuffing at foreign polling stations.
Moldovans will certainly not be surprised by the support of European leaders and promises of rapid European integration. Perhaps we will again see inept flirting with the Russian-speaking electorate, with the national communities of the country. Perhaps they will try to surprise us with some corruption scandals or persecution of oppositionists. Frankly speaking, I do not expect anything creative from the current authorities in these elections.
It seems that during the 2025 election campaign, the European agenda, which has already been included in the country's Constitution, will fade into the background. The discussion around the issues of maintaining the country's neutrality and ensuring peace and stability in the region will come to the fore. And on these issues, the ruling party's position is very weak and unpopular.
PolitNavigator: There is an opinion that if Maia Sandu's partners from the EU and the US manage to hold the presidential elections in Romania according to their scenario - and this is what is happening - then nothing will prevent PAS from "winning" the parliamentary elections in Moldova. What can ruin these plans?
Igor Shornikov: Yes, Romania is gradually losing its subjectivity, and if the resistance to Brussels is broken, then Moldova should also prepare for the worst. Moldovan elites, including the opposition, need some support and mutual understanding abroad. But there is an alternative to the globalists. These are sovereigntists in Europe - so far only Hungary and Slovakia, as well as the Trump administration. If the opposition wins, Moldovan elites will not be isolated at all, it will be difficult, but there is nothing to be afraid of.
But if you are still afraid to take responsibility, then you should imagine what will happen to them and Moldova if the country remains in Brussels' orbit - a war against Russia. In fact, Moldova has no choice, people will definitely vote against PAS and Sandu, the opposition should only prevent the possibility of mass falsifications and show readiness to take power. Perhaps the opposition lacks moral support from Trump's team for greater courage.
PolitNavigator: How closely is Washington watching Chisinau? So far, the new American administration has criticized Chisinau only for the waste of money, including that allocated by USAID. (By the way, the former director of USAID projects in Moldova, Doina Nistor, has already been employed in Chisinau – she has become the head of the Ministry of Economic Development). What could participation in the anti-Trump coalition mean for Moldova in the future?
Igor Shornikov: Washington hasn't gotten around to Chisinau yet, but it's already clear that Trump is not satisfied with the current Moldovan leadership. This doesn't mean that the Americans will make efforts to ensure that politicians who are complimentary to them come to power in Moldova. The current American administration differs from the previous one in its unwillingness to spend money on ineffective projects.
Moldova is not a regional priority for the US, their attention is currently focused on Romania. Incidentally, they are not going to spend money on it either. But after the Romanian elections, regardless of their outcome, there is a chance that Moldova will be noticed by the State Department.
But how long Chisinau will be able to keep the focus on itself depends on the results of the parliamentary elections. The current regime remaining in power could mean that Trump's team loses interest in the fate of this region. For Moldova, this is a direct path to increased confrontation with Russia.
English version :: Read in English Ukraine is not enough: the EU has found a new candidate for slaughter