Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi has extended a public invitation to tech billionaire and senior adviser to the U.S. President Elon Musk to visit the country and see firsthand the impact of U.S. development aid, following the Trump administration’s suspension of all U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs worldwide.
The invitation comes after Musk — appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to lead a federal cost-cutting initiative — called USAID “a criminal organization.”
The Trump administration has since paused all USAID operations worldwide for 90 days, citing the need for a comprehensive review and reform. By March, 83% of global USAID programs had been canceled.
Speaking to Jurnal TV, Popsoi said a visit could persuade Musk that American taxpayer dollars have been well spent in Moldova. He highlighted successful projects such as Artcor, Mediacor, and the revitalization of the Moldovan wine industry.
"That may be the case if he comes. Mr. Musk can convince himself by going to Artcor, to Mediacor, to visit the wine industry, which was helped by USAID to increase the country's brand,” Popsoi said.
“Even U.S. consumers enjoy the quality of our wine, which now will probably become a bit more expensive in the context of tariffs.”
USAID’s largest investment in Moldova is the $300 million Energy Security program. It has funded the construction of a high-voltage power line linking Moldova and Romania, the modernization of Moldova’s electricity operator Moldelectrica, and the development of Energocom and the Ministry of Energy.
In Ukraine, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, USAID has provided $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and more than $30 billion in direct budget support to Kyiv.
Katerina Sergatskova
(Updated: )
