러시아ㆍ유라시아

Moldova’s importance to the United States and its partners and allies is impossible to ignore following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moldova is important not only for geographic reasons (as Ukraine’s western neighbor, and EU member Romania’s eastern neighbor) but also for geopolitical reasons. Moldova has struggled with its ties between East and West since becoming an independent country in 1991. Moreover, it has struggled with efforts to develop a democracy with functioning institutions. But these past struggles do not reflect the Moldova of today, nor does it reflect why Moldova is of strategic interest to the United States.