Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky spoke over lunch in Palm Beach (Florida), Sunday, December 28. In front of an audience of journalists, the two heads of state welcomed an agreement “almost 95% concluded”. Washington applauds “much progress” and kyiv welcomes a “very good meeting“. Because the President of the United States persists and signs: he will very soon end the war led by Russia in Ukraine. Yet the real omens of this peace are not manifesting. In an interview Tuesday, December 30 granted to Telegraphthe president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, decides: “Vladimir Putin has no interest in making peace with Ukraine.”
In the columns of the British daily, the neighboring head of state of Ukraine warns of Moscow’s ambition to sow chaos in Europe, through electoral interference.
The Kremlin really needs a break. After four years of war, the country’s military industry is running out of steam. In December 2024, Moscow announced that it would allocate around $126 billion to national defense, or more than a third of public spending in 2025. A record since the end of the Cold War.
Also, an asymmetrical peace agreement could not guarantee lasting peace. On the contrary, Maia Sandu sees it as an opportunity for Russia to catch its breath before striking harder, in the space of a few months. And such an outcome would not only endanger Ukraine but also other post-Soviet states, and by extension, the rest of Europe, Moldova assures. “I believe President Trump wants peace, and we very much appreciate that,” she told the Telegraph. And the president regrets: “I simply don’t believe that there is enough pressure on Russia today to get them to agree to end the war in Ukraine.”
“More than 700 influence operations”
And when it comes to Vladimir Putin’s abilities to shake up Europe, Maia Sandu has acquired field expertise. In September, the Moldovan legislative elections were held, a deadline in which the Kremlin invested some 115 million euros. According to Ksenia Iliuk, co-founder of LetsData, a Ukrainian company specializing in information operations intelligence, “more than 700 influence operations were detected in the run-up to the election, many of which aimed to personally discredit Maia Sandu,” the online media Politico reported at the time.
The purpose of this interference? Overthrow the pro-European party, in power since 2021, of the Moldovan head of state. Failure: its movement, PAS, gathered 50.03% of the votes, against 24.26% for the Patriotic Electoral Bloc, pro-Kremlin. Despite this failure, the Russian attempt was described by “seasoned Western diplomats […] as the most sustained attack on a democratic process they have ever observed” according to the Telegraph.
Moscow is not, however, releasing its pressure. Over the last 14 months, the Kremlin has orchestrated two other interferences in Moldova: a referendum ratifying Moldova’s desire to join the European Union as well as the (re) presidential election of Maia Sandu.
“The target is Europe”
And Moldova warns: Vladimir Putin’s ambitions go far beyond his country, “he wants to control the continent”. A project that she imagines not only through armed force but also through a massive campaign of electoral interference.
In the columns of TelegraphMaia Sandu describes her country as a “testing ground” where Moscow tested the practical application of its capabilities to structure electronic warfare and disinformation campaigns, all to influence voters. The president sees a gloomy future for the continent: “The target is Europe […] which should take inspiration from the countries that are on the front line in the fight for democracy.”
And with several European elections approaching, the president warns: “Democracy on the continent is in danger.” If the French presidential election is held in 2027, our country is not the only one to see the national, populist rally close to the Kremlin dangerously leading the polls. The Germans, who will go to the polls in 2029, are facing the meteoric rise of the AfD, accused of spying for Moscow.
