Moldova may join the EU ahead of Ukraine: what this means for both countries.

Ukraine and Moldova are moving forward in their relations with the European Union. According to information from Politico, Moldova may be allowed to open the first negotiation cluster at the beginning of September, which would strengthen the position of President Maia Sandu and her party amid the election campaign.

'We need to find a way to open the first cluster. This would be a signal for Russia. It would undermine the arguments supporting the Russian narrative that there is no progress on the path to EU membership.'

Despite this, Ukrainian diplomats express concern that such a decision may send a negative signal for Ukraine. However, the EU plans to demonstrate Ukraine's progress towards the EU through access to programs or student exchanges if the negotiation process is delayed.

'We can do many things to bring Ukraine closer to Europe in other ways than the formal negotiation process. The main thing is to keep moving forward and clearly convey that Hungary's resistance is not considered legitimate, and that the real 'carrot' is the end of the process.'

Diplomats emphasize the importance of continuing the integration path for Ukraine and Moldova into the European Union and rejecting attempts at interference from other countries.