US Says Russia Actively Seeking to Undermine Moldova’s EU Referendum

Russia has spent millions of dollars trying to influence the outcome of Moldova’s Oct. 20 referendum on joining the European Union, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Moldovan President Maia Sandu hopes to secure a yes vote in Sunday’s referendum at the same time as winning reelection, on a pro-Western platform. Moldova was officially granted EU candidate status in June 2022. “In recent months, the U.S. government, Moldovan President Sandu, the Moldovan security services, and other allies and partners have warned that Russia is seeking to undermine Moldovan democratic institutions in the lead-up to the presidential election and referendum on Moldova’s EU membership,” Kirby told a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday. “Now, with Moldova’s election just days away, we remain confident in our earlier assessment that Russia is looking actively to undermine Moldova’s election and its European integration.”...