Melike Pala
08 May 2026•Update: 08 May 2026
The breakaway region of Transnistria will not be a hurdle to Moldova joining the European Union, said the bloc’s foreign policy chief on Friday.
"I want to assure you that Transnistria will not become an obstacle to Moldova's European future," Kaja Kallas told a joint press conference in the capital Chisinau alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
Transnistria, a narrow strip of land along Moldova’s eastern border with Ukraine, has been de facto outside Chisinau’s control since a brief armed conflict in 1992. The separatist region is home to a population largely composed of Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking residents.
Kallas also praised Moldova’s "remarkable progress" in implementing reforms, saying that the EU wants "to press ahead to get Moldova into the union."
Asked whether the EU had set a political deadline for formally opening accession talks with the Eastern European country, Kallas said the bloc wants to move "as fast as we can," though no concrete date has been fixed.
"It's clear that we need to move fast. We need to use the political opportunity … or the opportunity window that is provided by a change of governments in different countries," she said, referring to the recent change in government in Hungary while suggesting that upcoming elections across the EU could complicate the process.
"That's why I also think that we should move while nobody is against Moldova," she added, noting that bilateral disputes should not be allowed to obstruct accession negotiations.
On US-led efforts for peace in neighboring Ukraine, Kallas said current negotiations "are not really going anywhere," arguing that demands have largely been directed at Ukraine rather than Russia.
