Huge blow for Vladimir Putin as tiny European country 'chooses EU over Russia'

re-elected their pro-EU President for a second term on Sunday after a tense election campaign marred by claims of Russian interference.

Incumbent won 55% of the votes counted and promised to be president for all Moldovans.

She told her supporters at a victory celebration at her headquarters that the nation needed to unite.

"I have heard your voice - both those who supported me and those who voted for Mr Stoianoglo," she said.

"In our choice for a dignified future, no-one lost... we need to stand united."

She praised Moldovans for saving the country and giving "a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books".

Sandu won despite alleged attempts by to ensure the victory of her pro-Putin rival, Alexandr Stoianoglo.

Moldova's authorities claim the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor spent $39m (£30m) trying to buy the election for with handouts to 138,000 Moldovans.

Shor, based in , denies the allegations but promised cash payments to anyone prepared to back his call for a "firm No" to the EU.

Stoianoglo was backed by the pro-Russian Party of Socialists and had repeatedly called for closer ties with Moscow.

As he cast his ballot, the former prosecutor general promised to be an "apolitical president" and said he had voted for "a Moldova that should develop in harmony with both the West and the East".

Stoianoglo won more votes in Moldova than Sandu, taking 51% of the vote. He did particularly well in rural areas and the south.

However, Sandu won in the capital Chisinau, and was completely dominant among expat voters - of whom there are some 1.2 million.

The incumbent president also polled strongly in major cities and among the young in Moldova.

EU leaders greeted her victory with relief following the defeat of the pro-Western parties in Georgia's parliamentary elections last week.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Sandu in a post to X, saying: "It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you've faced in this election.

"I'm glad to continue working with you towards a European future for Moldova and its people."