Moldova can move away from neutral status and join NATO - Sandu

In an interview with Politico, Maia Sandu told that a ‘serious discussion’ is taking place about joining a broader military alliance.

"Now, there is a serious discussion … about our capacity to defend ourselves, whether we can do it ourselves, or whether we should be part of a larger alliance,” she said. “And if we come, at some point, to the conclusion as a nation that we need to change neutrality, this should happen through a democratic process," the Moldovan president explained.

Sandu emphasized that Chisinau's strengthening of its own defense, contrary to Russia's claims, is not a provocation, including against unrecognized Transnistria.

"Moldova is a peaceful country. It’s not Moldova that started a war against its neighbors,” she said. “Russian propaganda managed to convince part of the population that neutrality means you don’t have to invest in your defense sector, that neutrality means you do nothing and you have no capacity to defend yourself, which is wrong," she explained.

According to Sandu, Moldova remains very "vulnerable" to Russia's hybrid warfare through propaganda and disinformation, and noted that it is thanks to the "courage and resilience of Ukrainians" that her country has not faced military threats.

"We are facing a range of risks, but none of them compares to the situation in Ukraine and, and to the price that Ukrainians are paying," the Moldovan leader said.

Moldova is not a NATO member, but it cooperates with the Alliance, in particular by participating in peacekeeping forces in partially recognized Kosovo. In addition, in December, a representative of the country attended the December NATO meeting in Bucharest for the first time.