CHISINAU, March 3. /TASS/. Moldova is in talks with the United Nations to continue programs of the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, which have been suspended, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.

"We will continue negotiating USAID programs with the United States to see whether they can be preserved. And if not, obviously, we will discuss with other partners how to continue them," she said after talks with European Council President Antonio Costa.

She also stressed the need for the US and EU financing Moldova’s defense spending. "Defense expenditures are included into the budget, which has been approved. We are thankful to the European Union for supporting us in our efforts toward strengthening security," she added.

After visiting Moldova in October 2024 ahead of the presidential election and the referendum on Moldova’s EU membership, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised 1.8-billion-euro investments to Moldova should it continue its European integration course.