Leaders meet for first-ever EU-Moldova summit

Chisinau is keen to use the first-ever EU-Moldova summit to push harder for bloc membership. Meanwhile, leaders face opposition from within over progress for another contender for accession. What you need to know EU leaders gathered in Chisinau for the first-ever EU–Moldova summit — a clear signal of deepened ties and support for Moldova’s European trajectory. Moldova is keen to get real EU membership negotiations underway before its September election — and officials say they want to fight back against Russian disinformation that is muddying the waters at home. Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gherasimov says the clock is ticking. Moldova and its neighbor Ukraine both formally opened talks last June, but they’ve yet to dive into the meat of big policy chapters. Here are the latest developments coming out of the EU summit in Chisinau: Moldova took 'crucial step' towards EU accession — von der Leyen EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Moldova took a "crucial step" after the country enshrined EU accession in its constitution following a 2024 referendum. She made the comments at a press conference following EU talks in Chisinau alongside EU Council President Antonio Costa and Moldova's head of state, Maia Sandu. "Nine months ago, we agreed on the growth plan for Moldova, and eight months ago, the people of Moldova have enshrined their European future in Moldova's constitution," she said. "What a testament to Moldova's and our unwavering commitment ... Moldova is constantly proving in making progress in the accession process." She said that Brussels would work to protect Moldova from "hybrid attacks" from the Kremlin . "We are also committed to protecting you against the hybrid attacks," von der Leyen said. "Who is behind those attacks is clear to all of us here — these are the same agents of autocracy trying to undermine our democracies everywhere in Europe." Moldova in EU 'no longer a distant dream' — Sandu Moldovan President Maia Sandu struck an optimistic note on Moldova's bid for EU membership in remarks following the talks in Chisinau. "For the first time, we are being seen as a natural part of the European family," Sandu said. She said that the talks show "that our country's accession to the EU is already underway — it's no longer a distant dream or a vague promise." "Through this summit, the European Union is sending a clear message: Moldova matters," she said. Sandu said that Moldova's accession had the full report of all of the bloc's 27 member states. She hailed an EU financial support package of some €1.9 billion (around $2.24 billion) to be disbursed to Moldova in the coming years, including an initial tranche dedicated to repairing the country's roads. EU leaders set to back Moldova’s sovereignty at summit EU leaders are expected to reiterate their unwavering commitment to Moldova's sovereignty, security and resilience at the upcoming summit, in light of Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and Moscow's continued hybrid attacks on Moldova. They are also expected to condemn Russia's hybrid threats and discuss ways to boost Moldova's resilience against foreign interference, disinformation and electoral corruption. Since the start of Russia's invasion, the EU has supported Moldova with humanitarian aid, security and defense measures, border management, temporary trade liberalization and electricity grid synchronization. At the summit, the EU will reaffirm its steadfast support for Moldova’s path toward EU membership. Moldova applied for membership in March 2022, gained candidate status in June 2022 and formally opened accession talks in June 2024. EU seeks faces dilemma on Moldova-Ukraine integration At the first-ever EU-Moldova summit in Chisinau, European officials face a dilemma — they want to reassure Moldova of the EU's commitment to its future integration without raising Ukrainian fears of being left behind. Accession talks are divided into six thematic clusters covering areas like fundamental rights, economic policy and foreign relations. Moldova and neighboring Ukraine — which has been fighting a Russian invasion for more than three years — formally began membership talks last June but have yet to move to substantive negotiations on key policies. The EU's executive body and nearly all member states say Moldova and Ukraine have met the criteria, but Hungary has blocked Kyiv’s progress. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has described Hungary's beleaguered neighbor as a "buffer zone" between Russia and NATO and implied Budapest might block Kyiv's efforts to join the EU. Deputy Prime Minister Cristina, Moldova's deputy prime minister for European integration, told the Reuters news agency in Brussels ahead of the summit that her country had faith that a solution would be found both for Moldova and for Ukraine to advance with accession talks in the "near future. " "For Moldova, the timing is crucial. We have elections on September 28, parliamentary elections where disinformation unfortunately plays a big role, and most of this disinformation targets the EU," she said. EU membership has remained a major strategic goal for both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Moldovan President Maia Sandu as they work to break away from Russia's influence and anchor their former Soviet republics in the West. Welcome to our coverage Hello and welcome to our updates, bringing you the latest events from and surrounding the European Union summit in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau. At the gathering, EU leaders are largely expected to underline their support for Moldova and Ukraine's aspirations to join the world's largest trading bloc. However, Hungary has repeatedly resisted when it comes to Kyiv, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban insisting that the country should remain a buffer zone between Russia and NATO countries. The meeting comes after Denmark has launched its presidency of the European Union with a call for Europe to stand united against the war in Ukraine and the chaos triggered by US President Donald Trump 's global tariff hike — themes likely to shape the Nordic country's six-month term leading the EU. Stay tuned here for the latest on what's happening at the EU summit.