Kanyshai Butun
26 September 2026•Update: 26 September 2026
Moldova’s Prime Minister Vasile Tofan on Saturday accused Russia of “repeatedly violating” Moldovan airspace with drones, calling the situation “unacceptable” and warning against allowing such incidents to become normalized.
“We must not grow accustomed to it. Repetition does not make violation acceptable,” he said, addressing the UN General Assembly during its high-level week.
He said Moldova could not choose for a war to begin next door – referring to its border with Ukraine – but it could choose how to respond.
“We welcome people fleeing the war. We kept transport routes open. We reduced the cost of rail transit for Ukrainian cargo with grain,” he said, adding that “these decisions were not always cost-free or politically easy at home.”
Speaking about Moldova’s European Union integration, Tofan said accession negotiations with the EU are underway after the country received candidate status in 2022.
“Joining the European Union is not about replacing one sphere of influence with another,” Tofan said, alluding to Moldova’s past as a Soviet republic. “It is our citizens exercising their right to choose, choose democracy, choose prosperity, choose peace.”
He said Moldova’s European path goes hand in hand with its partnership with the United States, particularly on security, energy independence, and resilience.