Moldova's ruling pro-West governing party won a majority in the country's tense Sunday elections, beating pro-Russian parties by a wide margin amid reported attempts to violently disrupt the vote and allegations of interference by Russia. Results from more than 99 percent of the polling stations counted by Monday noon showed the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) clearly in the lead, despite analysis and opinion polls before the vote suggesting that pro-Russian parties would come close and possibly upset the ruling party's parliamentary majority.
Given how strongly the Kremlin is opposed to any suggestion of NATO membership for Ukraine, it felt like a surprise when Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country wouldn't be opposed should Ukraine join the EU. "As for Ukraine's membership of the EU, we have never objected to this," Putin said while visiting China. "As for NATO, this is another issue." Observers were quick though to note that Putin was likely trying to appear as a peacemaker to US President Donald Trump.
"Trade wars, defence threats and military aggression don't respect borders. More and more Europeans now recognise that their small, individual nations cannot withstand simultaneous pressure from both Washington and Moscow."
