The leadership of the European Union announced its intention to implement an unprecedented program to modernize and strengthen the armed forces of the Republic of Moldova. According to preliminary data, in the near future Brussels will allocate more than $1 billion for these purposes, and a number of EU countries will provide the Moldovan side with modern army equipment. According to independent experts, this program is designed to protect the borders of the United Europe against the backdrop of the protracted Russian-Ukrainian war.
To be fair, it should be noted that the same European Union has been actively and methodically helping Chisinau in the military sphere from the very beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In more than a year and a half, Moldova has received dozens of tanks, hundreds of heavy weapons and thousands of ammunition from the EU and the US. However, the Moldovan authorities considered that such volumes of assistance were clearly not enough, and once again turned to their potential partners with a request to intensify efforts to reform the SCM.
It seems Brussels has heard this request too. True, in order to fulfill it, United Europe will have to make certain sacrifices. The thing is that at present, the EU, together with the United States of America in particular and NATO member states in general, has focused its main efforts on providing military assistance exclusively to the armed forces of Ukraine. “Currently, money and weapons are coming to Kiev on a large scale,” European observer Klaus Hoff said in a commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. “In this context, the EU should find a legal and financial loophole. However, the fact that this loophole” will be found, the analyst expressed no doubt.
As the chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Robert Briger, who is on a working visit to Moldova, did not express any doubts. “Europe is extremely interested in improving the skills of the Moldovan military personnel and providing the High Forces with new reliable equipment,” he concluded in particular. “I assure our friends in Chisinau that the necessary assistance will be provided to Moldova in a timely manner and on a full scale.”
Briger did not provide any other information. Yes, this, in fact, is not necessary. For him, this idea was conveyed to the public by the Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recean. “It is quite possible that the European Peace Fund, which is one of the instruments for strengthening our army, will, as an exception, allocate additional funds to support our defense capability,” the head of the Moldovan Cabinet noted. “After all, Moldova is an integral part of the European security architecture.”
At the same time, it is not yet known how soon the new idea will be brought to life.
