Some 50 European leaders are meeting today in Moldova, a small country neighboring Ukraine that also lives in fear of Russia, to send a signal of unity Vladimir Putin and at the same time work to resolve the crises facing the continent.

The heads of state and government of 47 countries meet from 10:30 am (Greek time) at Mimi Castle in the village of Bulboatsa, 35 kilometers from the capital Chisinau. Leaders are expected to discuss important issues in large groups, but they will also have the opportunity to discuss other issues in private or in small groups, without the restrictions and rituals of official visits and their protocols.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Moldova this morning to attend the second meeting of the Security Council. European Political Communitywhich will bring together almost 50 European leaders, where he will hold many bilateral meetings.

Zelenskiy, whose presence was not confirmed in advance, was the first leader to be greeted on the red carpet by Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

The President of Ukraine has indicated that he is working to win the support of an alliance of forces that will provide his country with military aircraft to repel a Russian invasion. He also added that the meeting will discuss the Ukrainian peace plan, as well as Kyiv’s ambitions to join NATO and the EU.

Instead, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was re-elected on Sunday, will be absent, diplomatic sources say.

As at the first session held in October in Prague, the European Political Community will provide the opportunity to take a “family photo”. Drawn to this village near Transnistria, a separatist pro-Russian region of 300,000 in the eastern part of the country, he will highlight Putin’s isolation.

This coalition is much wider than the European Union (20 invited countries in addition to the 27 EU members), and this forum, which was the idea of ​​French President Emmanuel Macron, will involve countries with very different profiles and paths: Armenia, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, Serbia, Azerbaijan…

Desire to join the EU

For Moldova, this is an opportunity to repeat its impatience to join the EU. “The presence of all these leaders in our country sends a clear message: Moldova is not alone,” President Maia Sandu stressed yesterday, Wednesday. “Moldova takes a position within the European Union,” he stressed.

The President received an encouraging message from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who praised the country’s “tremendous progress” in its reforms.

The issue of accession is also acute for Ukraine, part of which is under Russian occupation. It received the official status of a candidate country simultaneously with Moldova, in June 2022. But the road is still long.

Emmanuel Macron urged the EU to rethink its governance and “invent many ways” to respond to these expectations.

Today, leaders should also discuss Ukraine’s security as NATO foreign ministers meet in Oslo to respond to Kyiv’s request to join the Atlantic Alliance.

To relieve tension

The European Political Community will provide an opportunity for some bilateral or limited discussions between the leaders.

It could help ease tensions in northern Kosovo, where violence erupted between police and Serb protesters over the weekend.

The French President expressed his desire to meet today with the President of Kosovo, the President of Serbia and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Yesterday, on Wednesday, he spoke about the “responsibility of the Kosovo authorities” after the clashes, as a result of which 30 soldiers of NATO forces were injured.

Serbs boycotted the April municipal elections in four cities, which resulted in the election of Albanian mayors with a turnout of less than 3.5%. Their installation last week by the Kosovo government set fire to a powder magazine.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, who are negotiating to end the conflict, should also meet under the auspices of Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Soltz and European Council President Charles Michel.

Yerevan and Baku have clashed for decades over control of the predominantly Armenian-populated Azerbaijani enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.