Country profile · Eastern Europe
Moldova
Moldova is a small country between Romania and Ukraine, with about 2.4 million people outside the breakaway region of Transnistria. President Maia Sandu and her pro-European party govern it. Russia keeps troops in Transnistria, and Russian missiles and drones from the war in Ukraine have crashed on Moldovan soil. Moldova is negotiating to join the EU.
Where Moldova ranks
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Who runs Moldova?
President Maia Sandu was born on May 24, 1972, in Risipeni, a village in the north. She worked as an economist at the World Bank and founded the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) in 2016. She was prime minister for five months in 2019. She won the presidency in November 2020 and was re-elected on November 3, 2024, with 55.35% against Alexandr Stoianoglo. Sandu lost the vote inside Moldova but won thanks to a record 327,000 voters abroad, who backed her by over 82%. In the parliamentary election of September 28, 2025, PAS won 55 of 101 seats (chart). Two parties accused of illegal Russian-linked funding were barred before the vote. Moldova is a parliamentary republic. Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu resigned on July 3, 2026, after a corruption scandal at the state air-traffic company. On July 21 parliament approved Vasile Tofan, a 44-year-old financier with no party, as prime minister.
- Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) 55
- Patriotic Bloc (Socialists and Communists) 26
- Other opposition parties 20
Photo (September 2025): European Parliament, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
Who are Moldova's allies and rivals?
Romania is Moldova's closest partner. Romanian is Moldova's state language, and about 859,000 Moldovans had gained Romanian citizenship by 2024, giving them EU passports. Romania buys 29% of Moldova's exports. In 2026 a Romanian state company bought Giurgiulești, Moldova's only port on the Danube. The EU made Moldova a candidate for membership on June 23, 2022, the same day as Ukraine. It has paid about €661 million of a €1.9 billion growth plan. EU military aid reached €317 million in July 2026, mostly for air defense. Moldova's constitution declares it permanently neutral, so it is not seeking to join NATO. Its 2023 security strategy names Russia as the main threat. Russia keeps soldiers in Transnistria without Moldova's consent. Police say Russian money paid voters in the 2024 election. Moldova expelled 45 Russian embassy staff in 2023 and will leave the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States on April 8, 2027.
Allies and partners
RomaniaLargest trade partner; 859,000 hold Romanian citizenship- European UnionCandidate since 2022; €317 million in military aid
UkraineFellow EU candidate; about 140,000 Ukrainian refugees
FranceDefense agreement signed March 2024
Rivals and tensions
RussiaTroops in Transnistria; accused of buying votes- TransnistriaBreakaway region since 1990, backed by Russia
- Ilan Shor's networkFugitive tycoon's network paid voters, police say
- Tiraspol Capital of breakaway Transnistria. It chooses a new leader on December 13, 2026.
- Cobasna Soviet-era ammunition depot guarded by Russian troops. Moldova estimates about 14,000 tonnes remain.
- Comrat Capital of Gagauzia, where about 95% voted against the EU in 2024. It elects a governor on November 15, 2026.
- Giurgiulești Moldova's only port on the Danube. Romania's state port company bought it in 2026.
- Moldova
- Partner
Who does Moldova trade with?
Moldova exported goods worth $3.78 billion in 2025 and imported $10.92 billion, a record deficit (National Bureau of Statistics). The EU took 67.5% of exports, and Romania alone took 29% (chart). Russia bought 44.4% of Moldova's exports in 2000 but only about 2.8% in 2025. Russia banned Moldovan wine in 2006 and again in 2013. The main exports are insulated cables for cars, sunflower seeds, wheat and wine. Moldova has more vineyard per person than any other country. Money sent home by Moldovans abroad was worth about 9% of GDP in 2025. Until January 1, 2025, a Russian-owned power plant in Transnistria made most of the electricity bought by the rest of Moldova. That day Gazprom stopped sending gas, and the plant stopped selling power to the government-held side. Moldova now buys gas from European traders and imports most of its electricity, much of it from Romania. Household gas prices rose by more than 70% in September and October 2026.
Czechia
Why are Russian troops still in Moldova?
Transnistria is a strip of land between the Dniester River and Ukraine. Its leaders declared independence from Moldova in 1990. A short war in 1992 ended with a ceasefire on July 21, 1992, and a peacekeeping force led by Russia. About 367,000 people live there, by Moldova's count. No country recognizes Transnistria, not even Russia. Russia says it has about 1,000 to 1,200 troops there. Moldova's foreign minister says only 200 to 300 of them are Russians and the rest are local recruits. They guard the Cobasna depot of Soviet-era ammunition, and Moscow says they cannot leave without its agreement. Transnistria depended on Russian gas until Gazprom stopped deliveries in January 2025, which shut its factories. Since February 2025 it gets gas through a Hungarian company, paid with a Russian loan. In May 2026 President Putin made it easier for its people to get Russian passports. Its leader since 2016, Vadim Krasnoselsky, cannot run in the December 13, 2026 vote.
When will Moldova join the EU?
Moldova applied to join the EU on March 3, 2022, a week after Russia invaded Ukraine. It became a candidate on June 23, 2022, and talks opened on June 25, 2024. In an October 2024 referendum, 50.35% of voters backed making EU membership a goal in the constitution. Moldova's talks have moved in step with Ukraine's, which Hungary blocked under Viktor Orbán. After Péter Magyar defeated Orbán in April 2026, Hungary lifted its veto. Moldova opened its first cluster on June 15, 2026, a second on July 14 and two more on October 13. Four of the six clusters, covering 24 of 33 chapters, are now open. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan aims to finish the talks by early 2028 and join by 2030, but the EU has set no date. Some Moldovans would rather join Romania. In October 2026 President Maia Sandu said Moldova would be safer united with Romania, but that most Moldovans do not support it.