Former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker has urged the EU to prevent Moldova from becoming the next victim of Russian aggression.

In an interview for German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Juncker, a candidate of the European People's Party (EPP) for the post of European Commission President, defined the annexation of Crimea as a clear violation of international law.

He said that the events in Ukraine necessitated an urgent signing of an Association Agreement with Moldova over the coming weeks.

Juncker insisted that Russian President Vladimir had to be shown that he could not do in Moldova what he had done in the Crimea.

He argued that the EU had to stabilize Moldova and secure its orientation towards the West as soon as possible or risk having the country become the next victim of Russian aggression.

Juncker declared that Putin would only respond to EU measures provided that the bloc made it clear that his actions were unacceptable.