CHISINAU, July 22. /TASS/. Moldova's dream of becoming a part of the EU is blinding it to the fact that it is becoming entangled in the Ukraine conflict, Igor Dodon, the Eastern European nation’s former president and leader of its largest opposition Party of Socialists, said.

"European integration, which the current authorities continue to use as a cover, has turned into a present-day political myth," Dodon wrote on Telegram. "At first, they kept postponing Moldova’s ‘accession’ to the EU, and now, they are describing the launch of negotiation clusters as the main achievement. However, one only has to look at Turkey, Montenegro and Serbia: their clusters were launched decades ago but these countries have still not joined the EU. However, the authorities are failing to mention that the EU has allocated over 300 million euros to militarize Moldova, which has until recently been a neutral country. Meanwhile, the defense minister has announced that mandatory military training for men will begin on January 1. I have one simple question: what are they preparing us for?" Dodon added.

Earlier, Dodon accused Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity of escalating tensions at the behest of EU politicians seeking to ignite another armed conflict in Europe and draw Russia into it. The Party of Socialists’ leader lashed out at Sandu for making allegations of a military threat from Russia, a policy of close ties with NATO and the country’s militarization in spite of the neutrality enshrined in the constitution. He pointed out that Moldova government agencies had no evidence of military preparations by Russia and the non-recognized Republic of Transnistria, where Russian peacekeepers are stationed.

Moldova’s parliament, controlled by the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, adopted a defense strategy last year that identifies Russia as the main threat. The document also envisages closer cooperation with NATO, despite Moldova’s constitutional commitment to permanent neutrality. While an economic crisis has impoverished the country’s population, the government still plans to increase defense spending to 1% of GDP by 2030. Moldova has purchased two French-made advanced radars, ATMOS 200 artillery systems, self-propelled mortars and other military equipment, raising extreme concerns among the opposition, as well as authorities in the Gagauzia region and Transnistria.