German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk all voiced support for Moldova's bid to join the European Union in Chisinau on Wednesday, on the 34th anniversary of Moldova's independence from the former Soviet Union. 

"The door to the European Union is open," Merz said in a meeting with Moldovan President Maia Sandu. "You would be wholeheartedly welcome in the European Union." 

Merz said Moldova was both geographically and historically a part of Europe; he praised what he termed "decisive and successful" reforms designed to bring the country closer to EU accession. 

Macron also expressed France's "determined support" to Moldova and its accession bid alongside his three fellow leaders on Wednesday. 

"The Kremlin's propaganda tells us that Europeans want to prolong the war [in neighboring Ukraine] and that the European Union oppresses people," Macron said. "These are lies. Unlike Russia, the European Union threatens no one and respects everyone's sovereignty." 

Sandu: 'No alternative to Europe' as election nears

President Sandu told the visiting trio there was "no alternative to Europe" for Chisinau as "our independence, our sovereignty, our peace are tested more than ever." 

"Your presence here — France, Germany, Poland — shows not only your support for Moldova, but that the European project is alive, and that we are part of it," she said.

Moldova will vote in parliamentary elections at the end of September, amid allegations of Russian interference and plans to try to influence the vote from the government. While the alliance tied to Sandu appears strongest in opinion polls, its support appears to have dipped since 2021. Sandu herself secured a second term as president last year. 

Merz said in Chisinau on Wednesday that "not a day goes by without massive Russian hybrid attacks," saying Moldova's "democracy is in the crosshairs, online and offline." 

Moldova is a small country of around 2.6 million people sandwiched between Ukraine to its east and NATO member Romania to its west, with both Brussels and Moscow making clear they see it as part of their respective spheres of influence.

Polish Prime Minister Tusk said at the joint press conference on Wednesday that "no one is doing anyone else a favor or showing them a courtesy" with support for Moldova. 

"There can be no secure EU, no secure Poland, France and Germany without an independent Moldova," Tusk said.

The leaders were expected to give speeches later on Wednesdsay on Chisinau's Independence Square, amid a concert celebrating the country's 1991 independence. 

Edited by: Wesley Dockery