Moldovan President makes headlines with comment on reunification with Romania

Moldovan President Maia Sandu is making headlines with a candid revelation during an interview on the popular British podcast The rest is politics, hosted by Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell.

In the discussion aired on 12 January, Sandu stated unequivocally that if a referendum on unification with Romania were held, she would personally vote in favor. This statement underscores the profound challenges facing small nations in an era of intensifying geopolitical pressures, particularly from Russia.

Sandu framed her position within the broader context of Moldova’s vulnerability. With a population of roughly 2.4 million people positioned between Romania and Ukraine, the country has long grappled with its identity and security. Historically, Bessarabia – Moldova’s core territory, was part of Romania from 1918 until its annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940. Independence came in 1991 amid the USSR’s collapse, but the legacy of Soviet rule, including the breakaway region of Transnistria, continues to shape the nation’s trajectory.

Sandu highlighted how the late 1980s and early 1990s saw vibrant national revival movements, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in discussions of reunification. Although no referendum occurred then, the scale of public mobilisation suggested substantial support at the time.

Today, however, the landscape has shifted significantly. Sandu acknowledged that no majority currently backs unification with Romania. Recent polls indicate that only around one-third of Moldovans favor such a step, with opposition rooted in concerns over sovereignty, identity, and the complexities of integration.

Sandu has made clear that no referendum on unification is currently planned or foreseen in the near future.

Many view Moldova’s distinct statehood as worth preserving, especially given the linguistic and cultural ties – Romanian is the official language, a status reinforced by a 2023 law aligning legal texts with the 1991 Declaration of Independence. Despite these shared roots, unification remains a divisive topic, particularly among Russian-speaking communities and in regions like Gagauzia. (Gagauz, a Turkic language, and Russian are the most spoken in Gagauzia.)

If Moldova were to reunify with Romania – an existing EU member state – it could potentially join the EU automatically without undergoing the full standard accession negotiations and enlargement process, similar to how East Germany integrated into the European Community (predecessor to the EU) in 1990 by acceding to West Germany under Article 23 of its Basic Law, extending West Germany’s existing membership to the unified territory without a separate treaty revision or formal candidacy procedure for the former GDR.

Geopolitical pressures and the path to European integration

Instead of pursuing unification, Sandu emphasised European Union membership as the more realistic and unifying goal.

Moldova applied for EU candidate status in 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and has made steady progress since. Accession negotiations formally opened in 2024, with technical discussions advancing into 2026. Tangible milestones include Moldova’s synchronization with Europe’s electricity grid, integration into the EU’s “Roam like at home” mobile roaming area effective January 2026, and entry into the Single Euro payments area (SEPA) for smoother financial transactions.

This European orientation serves as a bulwark against external threats. Sandu has repeatedly accused Russia of hybrid warfare tactics, including disinformation campaigns, election interference, and attempts to destabilize the government. The 2024 constitutional referendum on enshrining EU integration passed by a razor-thin margin of 50.4%, despite alleged Russian meddling. Her reelection that year and her party’s parliamentary majority in September 2025 reinforced the pro-European mandate. Joining the EU, she argues, would enhance Moldova’s sovereignty by providing institutional strength, economic support, and security guarantees – far more feasibly than immediate unification.

Energy security remains a critical battleground in this struggle. Moldova has faced recurrent crises stemming from dependence on Russian gas, particularly through the Transnistrian region. The expiration of the Russia-Ukraine gas transit contract at the end of 2024 triggered severe disruptions in early 2025, halting supplies to Transnistria and forcing Moldova to import costlier electricity from Romania. This led to higher utility bills and blackouts, which authorities described as deliberate Russian pressure aimed at undermining the pro-EU government ahead of elections.

Romania has emerged as a vital partner in response. Bucharest has provided emergency electricity and gas supplies, funded infrastructure projects like new power lines (such as Suceava-Bălți), and pledged ongoing support to diversify Moldova’s energy sources and integrate it into the European grid (ENTSO-E). These efforts have helped Moldova weather crises, reduce reliance on Russian energy, and bolster resilience. The EU has complemented this with substantial aid packages, including emergency funds to mitigate the 2025 disruptions and longer-term investments in reforms.

Sandu’s personal support for eventual reunification with Romania can be seen as a kind of “Plan B” – a contingency option that she and some pro-European voices in Moldova keep in reserve, should the geopolitical environment deteriorate significantly (for example, due to renewed Russian aggression or regional instability) or if Moldova’s EU accession process becomes excessively prolonged and uncertain.

Източници: Nordnews.md, Europalibera.ro, Reuters

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Caption: President of Moldova Maia Sandu gives statements after her meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Athens, Greece, 15 December 2025. EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU