Moldovan president hails adoption of defence strategy citing Russia as threat

Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Saturday hailed the adoption by parliament of a new defence strategy calling for anchoring Moldova alongside its Western allies and identifying Russia as a threat to the former Soviet state.
Sandu posted on Facebook two days after the European Union agreed to open talks on extending its membership with both Moldova and neighbouring Ukraine — more than 21 months into Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sandu has denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and accused Moscow of plotting a coup to oust her. She said the new security strategy outlined the “main threats” facing Moldova and how to “effectively counter” them.
“There are two principal threats to our national security — the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation against our country as a whole and deep-rooted corruption in Moldova,” she wrote.
Members of Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity hold a majority in Moldova’s parliament, which on Friday adopted the strategy focusing on closer ties with the EU, Romania, the United States and NATO.