Maia Sandu has been pushing for Moldova’s membership despite growing opposition Moldova’s President Maia Sandu has said her country could join the EU by 2028, despite growing opposition to her pro-Western policy. The former Soviet republic has pursued EU and NATO membership since 2020, when Sandu, a vocal critic of Russia, came to power. Moldova was granted EU candidate status in 2022, alongside Ukraine. Re-elected last year in a contested and much debated runoff, Sandu has stepped up efforts