At the summit to take place June 27-28, the EU27 leaders will promise continued assistance to Moldova, including in the context of the autumn presidential elections and the referendum on EU accession. The promise is contained in a draft of the summit’s final declaration, seen by Radio Europa Liberă.

“The European Union will continue to provide all necessary support to the Republic of Moldova to face the challenges resulting from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to strengthen the country’s resilience, security and stability in the face of Russia’s destabilizing activities, including in the context of the elections and the referendum to take place in autumn”, the document says.

The draft statement seen by Europa Liberă welcomes the start of EU accession negotiations with Moldova, in a signal that European leaders are expecting it to take place before the summit, at an intergovernmental conference on June 25, just as in the case of Ukraine.

The new pledge of EU support against Russian attempts to destabilize Moldova comes shortly after the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom warned in a joint statement that Russia could try, with the help of its Moldovan allies, to overturn the outcome of the October presidential elections if they are not won by a pro-Russian candidate.

The summit will have a special significance also because it will be the last one before Hungary takes over the six-month rotating presidency, a country that has always opposed Ukraine’s EU endeavor, but not Moldova’s. After this summit, the EU structures will undergo a transition process in the wake of the recent European Parliament elections, so it is expected that in the coming months no big foreign policy decisions will be made.