There are "serious discussions" in Moldova about whether the country should abandon its constitutionally enshrined neutrality and join a larger alliance, Moldovan President Maia Sandu told Politico.

"Now, there is a serious discussion … about our capacity to defend ourselves, whether we can do it ourselves, or whether we should be part of a larger alliance," she said, responding to a question about possible NATO membership.

According to Sandu, "If we come, at some point, to the conclusion as a nation that we need to change neutrality, this should happen through a democratic process.”

The newspaper notes that the biggest obstacle for Moldova to join NATO is the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria.