Securing Democracy in Eastern Europe: A Conversation with 3 Ambassadors

Notre Dame Democracy Initiative

Available on-demand

Ambassadors to the European Union, Romania, and Moldova join Keough School of Global Affairs Dean Mary Gallagher in a discussion co-sponsored by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies on security, democracy, and Russian election interference in Eastern Europe.

This event was presented by the University of Notre Dame Democracy Initiative as a part of its signature event series Democracy Talks. To learn more about the Democracy Initiative, please visit their website or connect with them by signing up for their newsletter at this link.

The Democracy Initiative and the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame recently convened a distinguished panel titled “Securing Democracy in Eastern Europe.” Hosted by Clemens Sedmak, Director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, and moderated by Mary Gallagher, Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs, the event brought together three seasoned U.S. diplomats: Ambassador Mark Gitenstein (former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union and Romania), Ambassador Kent Logsdon (former U.S. Ambassador to Moldova), and Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman (former U.S. Ambassador to Romania). Together, the panelists provided an urgent, comprehensive assessment of frontline democratic vulnerabilities and transatlantic strategy.

Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman opened by emphasizing that democratic nations face an unprecedented, multi-front campaign of Russian asymmetric aggression. Beyond conventional military threats, Zuckerman detailed how Russia actively destabilizes European democracies through social media propaganda, automated bot networks, cyberattacks, physical sabotage—such as Paris rail line disruptions and Baltic provocations—and massive covert spending, exceeding $60 million in Romania and $300 million in Moldova. Highlighting the friction between protecting free speech and curbing foreign subversion, he warned that unchecked digital propaganda operates as a toxic tool designed to dismantle democratic cohesion from within.

Focusing on Moldova, Ambassador Kent Logsdon detailed the acute vulnerabilities of a small state bordering Ukraine and Romania. As a former Soviet republic where Russian is widely spoken, Moldova serves as a primary testing ground for Kremlin influence campaigns. Logsdon outlined the scale of electoral interference, citing research from the 2024 elections tracking 1,347 fake TikTok accounts generating 42 million impressions, 129 affiliated Pravda websites, and 898 million election-day cyber denial-of-service requests targeting the central election commission. Despite internal pressures, 1,500 Russian troops in Transnistria, and constitutional neutrality preventing NATO accession, Moldova demonstrates remarkable resilience. Under President Maia Sandu, the nation has banned foreign-financed proxy parties, hardened cyber infrastructure, and established EU accession as its central goal. Positive civic mobilization—exemplified by a pro-EU rally of 75,000 citizens in Chisinau and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola’s reassuring message, “You are not alone”—has proven crucial in countering foreign cynicism.

Addressing systemic defenses, Ambassador Mark Gitenstein deconstructed the European Union’s landmark Digital Services Act (DSA). Enforced by DG Connect, the DSA serves as a regulatory accountability mechanism requiring digital platforms to audit and mitigate platform manipulation. Gitenstein illustrated its necessity by recounting the 2024 Romanian presidential election, where a fringe candidate skyrocketed from 0.5% to 20% in polls within two weeks after 30,000 dormant TikTok accounts were simultaneously deployed. While the DSA has sparked debate among U.S. tech platforms and leaders, Gitenstein argued that regulatory transparency remains essential for countering state-backed cyber manipulation and preserving U.S.-EU strategic unity, particularly given the $4 billion in daily trade transacted across the Atlantic.

Concluding the discussion, the ambassadors evaluated the future of U.S. foreign policy, contrasting the alienating tone of J.D. Vance’s Munich address with Marco Rubio’s constructive approach. The panel raised serious concerns over persistent chief-of-mission vacancies in U.S. embassies worldwide. Leaving ambassadorial posts open places temporary representatives at the end of protocol lines while adversaries like China and Russia maintain fully staffed missions. Maintaining a nonpartisan, professional diplomatic corps remains indispensable for defending international democratic resilience.

How does Russia utilize digital disinformation and bot networks to destabilize European democratic elections? Russia deploys asymmetric hybrid warfare by funneling hundreds of millions of dollars—including over $60 million in Romania and $300 million in Moldova—into coordinated digital operations, network amplification, and automated bot accounts. In the 2024 Romanian presidential race, state-backed actors activated 30,000 dormant TikTok bot accounts within days, artificially elevating a fringe candidate from 0.5% to 20% in public opinion polls to manipulate democratic outcomes.
How is Moldova navigating foreign political interference while advancing toward European Union membership? Moldova counters foreign aggression under President Maia Sandu by banning foreign-funded proxy political parties, fortifying critical election infrastructure against massive cyberattacks—such as 898 million election-day denial-of-service requests—and rallying public support around European Union accession. Although constitutionally neutral and hosting 1,500 Russian troops in the breakaway region of Transnistria, Moldova relies on strong European partnerships and civic mobilization, demonstrated by 75,000 citizens gathering in Chisinau to embrace European integration.
What role does the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) play in curbing state-sponsored platform manipulation? Enforced by the European Commission’s DG Connect, the Digital Services Act (DSA) serves as a binding regulatory framework that obligates major social media platforms to audit, disclose, and remediate coordinated platform manipulation and bot networks. The DSA establishes systemic accountability for state-backed disinformation campaigns without implementing direct government content censorship.
How do Eastern European frontline nations compare to Western allies regarding NATO defense spending commitments? Frontline Eastern European nations, including Romania, Poland, and the Baltic states, consistently meet or exceed NATO’s Wales Pledge by allocating at least 2% of their GDP to national defense due to their direct proximity to Russian military threats. Historically, only nine NATO members met this 2% benchmark, with several Western European allies lagging behind—evidenced by France spending 1.5% of GDP and Holland previously eliminating its entire armored tank inventory.
Why is maintaining filled, nonpartisan ambassadorial posts critical for U.S. foreign policy and alliance stability? Leaving U.S. chief-of-mission posts vacant creates diplomatic leadership vacuums that downgrade American representation to temporary chargés d’affaires situated at the end of official protocol lines. These vacancies weaken institutional alliances and cede geopolitical influence to competitors like China and Russia, which consistently maintain fully accredited ambassadorial representation across global capitals.

“The biggest issue facing Europe, facing the U.S., facing global democracies is… how do you resolve the issue between free speech and propaganda, because we are being eaten alive by this unchecked propaganda coming out principally from Russia in Europe, but through China as well.” — Adrian Zuckerman
“I remember so well the president of the European Parliament saying in English, ‘You are not alone.’ And in Moldova, that really resonated because they heard the fact that they were not alone for the first time, and they felt part of something bigger—something a part of Europe.” — Kent Logsdon
“Ronald Reagan asked the most profound question: ‘Why did they do that? What gave them the courage to climb that cliff?’ And that’s because they were fighting for something they deeply believed in… that democracy in Europe was important to the United States.” — Mark Gitenstein
“You know how much value is transacted between the United States and Europe every day? $4 billion dollars. If that system gets broken, heaven forbid, we are going to reap the whirlwind. So we are all in this together.” — Mark Gitenstein
“China does not have vacancies across the world as we do right now; Russia certainly does not… So I worry that by leaving these posts vacant, it is not in our national self-interest as Americans.” — Kent Logsdon

Securing Democracy in Eastern Europe: A Conversation with 3 Ambassadors

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