Although EU candidacy for Ukraine and Moldova has been hailed as historic, frustrations among other candidates years into their own membership bids should serve as a reminder that the path ahead won't be easy.

The European Commission has recommended candidate status for Ukraine. Just over three months after being invaded by Russia, Kyiv has cleared the first hurdle on the road to membership.

EU leaders are in Brussels to discuss the membership bids of Ukraine and Moldova. Meanwhile, the European Parliament has voted heavily in favor of the two countries' getting candidate status.

With the war in Ukraine now in its 100th day, we focus on the situation in Transnistria, a small breakaway region of Moldova on Ukraine’s south-western border. Western countries suspect the region of acting as a rear base for the Russian military. The separatist enclave, which has claimed its independence since the fall of the Soviet Union, is located near the strategic Ukrainian port city of Odesa on the Black Sea. Our reporter Lauriane Dherbecourt gained rare access to Transnistria, which for now refuses to take part in the conflict in Ukraine. She discovered a land whose people are torn between East and West.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is visiting Moldova, the country that has taken in the most Ukrainian refugees relative to its own size. The small nation is one of Europe's poorest and faces many challenges.

A series of explosions in Transnistria is ringing alarm bells. Part of Moldova, this pro-Russian breakaway region borders Ukraine. With Moscow making veiled threats to intervene militarily, Moldova is on edge.

The Russian military has said it wants "another way" to access Moldova's breakaway Transnistria region. Ukraine has warned Russia seeks to establish new "republics" in occupied areas.

Fleeing the horrors of war, many of Ukraine's Jewish population have fled to Moldova. From there, the refugees are being picked up by Israeli aid organizations to be flown to safety in Tel Aviv.

Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe, but is taking in the most Ukrainian refugees per capita. Berlin hosted a conference to support the country with an influx of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

One of the poorest countries in Europe has taken in tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. That support, and fear of further Russian aggression, have brought the tiny southeast European nation international attention.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Moldova "deserves the world's gratitude" for welcoming Ukrainians. He also vowed support for the country's sovereignty due to fears that it could be Russia's next target.

Moldova has declared a state of emergency amid skyrocketing gas prices, after Russia decreased its exports of natural gas. It's not the first time the Kremlin has used its resources for political leverage.