EU hasn’t slowed Moldova’s accession over Ukraine, false claim debunked
A new disinformation campaign was initiated by the Russian press and adopted by pro-Kremlin channels. It falsely claims that the European Union (EU) has abandoned plans to accelerate the Republic of Moldova's accession due to Ukraine's objections. According to checks by Stopfals.md, the information attributed to the publication Politico is fabricated and is part of a coordinated manipulation operation.
According to the cited source, fake news emerged on September 3 from RIA Novosti and was quickly disseminated by numerous other Russian and Moldovan publications, as well as Telegram channels and politicians with an anti-European agenda, including Igor Dodon. They asserted that the Republic of Moldova cannot progress independently from Ukraine and that the EU would enforce militarization on the country—claims that lack any basis and are consistent with Kremlin propaganda.
In reality, Politico did not publish any article on this matter. The quote attributed to them originates from a Euractiv piece that analyzes the EU's options concerning Ukraine, as emphasized by Stopfals.md. Additionally, on August 15, Politico reported that Brussels is considering opening the first “negotiation cluster” with the Republic of Moldova, which would benefit Chisinau on its European path.
European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, recently confirmed in Chisinau that both Moldova and Ukraine have met the criteria for opening Cluster 1, and that each country will be evaluated based on its own progress.
She stressed that the accession process is "moving faster than at any time in the last 15 years."
On September 10, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Russian interference and reaffirming its strong support for Moldova's European aspirations.
