Moldova invited to open EU accession talks as pro-Russian figures gather at St. Petersburg forum
Moldova and Ukraine were invited to begin EU accession negotiations, a milestone in Chișinău's Western pivot. Meanwhile, a cluster of pro-Russian Moldovan figures appeared at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum — fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor (sentenced to 15 years in Moldova), ex-president Igor Dodon, former PM Vasile Tarlev, Russia's designated ambassador Oleg Ozerov, and 'Moldova Mare' leader Victoria Furtună. Dodon called for lifting anti-Russian sanctions, resuming Gazprom talks and reopening direct flights to Moscow, while floating a possible 'force scenario' in Transnistria involving Ukraine; Ozerov said the fate of the Russian contingent there would be settled through negotiations. Șor also photographed himself with Romanian MEP Diana Șoșoacă, calling her 'future president of a free Romania.' Analysts framed Russia's economic pressure on EU-leaning Armenia as a replay of tactics used against Moldova.
Why it matters
The simultaneous EU negotiation invitation and the Kremlin-aligned gathering crystallize Moldova's central geopolitical contest: a pro-European government under President Maia Sandu pushing toward Brussels while Russia leverages exiled oligarchs, energy blackmail and the frozen Transnistria conflict to pull it back. Talk of a 'force scenario' in Transnistria, where Russian troops have been stationed since the 1992 war, is especially sensitive amid the ongoing war in Ukraine next door.