Even if the Republic of Moldova is military neutral, its European aspirations and the unstable economy which has a heavy dependency on both the West and Russian Federation, Moldova is definitely the most fragile state in the neighborhood of Ukraine.
Even though since the beginning of the war the pro-Western government officially condemned Russian invasion in Ukraine, it found itself in a delicate situation where it has to militate for freedom and solidary and at the same time to watch carefully its moves, decisions and public statements in order to secure the target out of Moldova’s back.
“Most of Ukraine´s southern neighbors are in the European Union, inside NATO. They have external security guarantees. They have a much higher level of resilience. They have better functioning economies, more consolidated budgets and stronger institutions. Moldova has been badly governed for many years […] Moldova is a fragile state in a very difficult region,” said Nicu Popescu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for euronews.
More than that, Moldovan politician Adrian Lebedinschi, thinks that as long as the Republic of Moldova keeps on being neutral, it can consider itself being safe. “There are examples of countries such as Switzerland, Austria or Liechtenstein, and many others that announced their willingness to be neutral. This has allowed them so far to avoid taking part in any military conflict.”