Moldovan President Maia Sandu caused a storm of reactions this week with an interview with British journalists, in which she said that if there were a referendum, she would vote for Moldova's unification with Romania. In Chisinau, some accused her of treason, while in Bucharest, her words were welcomed, BTA reports.
For the British podcast “The Rest is Politics“, the Moldovan president spoke on Monday about the challenges in the security sphere and the democratic future of Moldova. In this context, she said that she would vote for unification with Romania. Maia Sandu stressed that her personal position is not currently supported by the majority of the population, but that there is a majority for EU integration and that is the goal she will fight for, “because it is more realistic and helps us survive as a democracy“.
However, the largest opposition force in Moldova - the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova of former President Igor Dodon, accused Maia Sandu of treason and demanded that the Prosecutor General's Office, the Security Service and all competent authorities launch an urgent investigation.
“The statement of the illegitimate president Maia Sandu regarding her readiness to vote for the liquidation of the Republic of Moldova and its absorption by Romania is not a “personal opinion“ or “abstract speculation“, but an open act of political treason directed against the Moldovan statehood (…)“, the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova stated in a position published on Facebook.
“De facto, Maia Sandu publicly admitted that she does not consider the Republic of Moldova a value worth preserving, and that she is ready to support its destruction. This is a direct betrayal of national interests (…)“, the position of the Moldovan socialists also states, accusing Sandu of “using the highest office in the state as a platform to promote the unification project and external dictate“.
The Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) believes that Maia Sandu should resign immediately and called on “all patriotic forces in parliament, local government and civil society to unite against Maia Sandu's regime, which is pushing the country towards loss of sovereignty, division of society and national catastrophe“.
In the interview with the British journalists who host the podcast - Rory Stewart and Alistair Campbell, Maia Sandu pointed out that against the backdrop of what is happening around Moldova and the world, “it is becoming increasingly difficult for a small country like Moldova to survive as a democracy, as sovereign state and, of course, to resist Russia“ and in this context said: “if there was a referendum, I would vote for unification with Romania“.
In the interview, she admitted that there is no majority in Moldova that would support unification.
Moldovan media recalled that according to the latest Public Opinion Barometer survey, commissioned by the Institute for Public Policy, 33.4 percent of Moldovans would vote for unification with Romania, while 45.7 percent would vote against. Another 2.5 percent would not participate in such a referendum, and 16.7 percent were undecided. The poll was conducted in September 2025 and does not include residents of Transnistria (a pro-Russian separatist region within Moldova) and data from the Moldovan diaspora, which is estimated to number nearly one million people.
The President of Moldova has made statements in support of unification with Romania in the past, even before she was elected head of state in 2020. Sandu also has Romanian citizenship, which according to Moldovan law is not an obstacle to holding a high state position.
At the end of 2024, she was re-elected president, and in the parliamentary elections in September 2025, the Party of Action and Solidarity, which she founded, won a parliamentary majority, promising Moldovans rapid integration into the EU. Along with the presidential elections in October 2024, a referendum was held in Moldova on whether the country's accession to the EU should be included in the constitution as a strategic goal. In the referendum, 50.38 percent of voters said “yes“, and the remaining 49.62 percent voted “no“.
What Sandu said in the podcast of British journalists caused surprise and gave rise to numerous comments and analyses in Romania. Political forces, both in the government and in the opposition, welcomed or supported the statements of the Moldovan president, but there were also voices that called for caution. The majority of Romanian politicians stressed that a unification must take into account the will of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. Some warned of the risk of politicizing the topic and using it for propaganda purposes in the context of the war in Ukraine and pressure from Russia, summarized the Romanian section of Radio Free Europe.
Part of the territory of the present-day Republic of Moldova (the Bessarabia region) was part of Romania in the first half of the 20th century. This happened after World War I, when Bessarabia joined Romania in 1918 and remained under Romanian administration until 1940.
Presidential advisor and MEP Eugene Tomac said in an interview with the publication “Calla European“ that every conscientious Romanian, regardless of which side of the Prut River they live on, views the topic of the unification of the two countries as a natural process, the news site G4Media reported.
Tomac, who is responsible for relations with the diaspora, recalled that Romania had made an official commitment through a declaration adopted by parliament on March 27, 2018, when it marked 100 years since the historic vote of the State Council in Chisinau in 1918 to join the Kingdom of Romania. The declaration, adopted unanimously, states that Romania is ready to sit at the negotiating table on unification at the moment Moldova is ready for it, recalled Tomac.
“This is the official position of the Romanian state. It has not changed“, emphasized Eugene Tomac, quoted by the news site “GiForMedia“. At the same time, the presidential advisor reminded that Bucharest cannot ignore the situation in Chisinau, where the majority, expressed in the parliamentary elections and in several referendums, is in favor of EU integration. He believes that the initiative for unification should come from Moldova and should in no case become a political issue that causes division.
Asked if Romania is ready for unification with Moldova, including in terms of the necessary international support, Eugene Tomac said that “all our partners know that the same people live in Romania and in the Republic of Moldova“.
The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Titus Corlacian from the Social Democratic Party (the largest party in the coalition government), described what Maia Sandu said as “an important but half-hearted step“.
“This is a statement that caused some surprise, considering the ideological profile of the President,“, Titus Corlacian told the Romanian section of Radio Free Europe.
According to Corlacian, the unification of Moldova and Romania would be a legitimate step along the lines of Germany.
„The German nation was not denied unification and this was accepted as something legitimate in 1989 by all international actors. The same thing cannot be denied to the Romanian nation“, said Corlacian, quoted by Free Europe.
„Romania recognized the independence of the Republic of Moldova in the form of a second Romanian state. We have not changed our opinion (…)“, pointed out the senator from the Social Democratic Party. He recalled that Russia has constantly speculated on the issues of the language and identity of Moldova.
The so-called “Moldovan language“ was the official language in Moldova from the time of the Soviet occupation in the period 1940-1944 and the emergence of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, until 2023, when it was replaced by Romanian by law.
The largest opposition party - Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR), reminded that Maia Sandu “holds all the power in Moldova“ and could organize a referendum or a vote in parliament on this issue.
AUR, which in its statute has committed to unification with Moldova, reminded in a position sent to the BTA editorial office that “up until now, Maia Sandu's internal attitude has been to belittle the unification movement“.
The Romanian opposition party indicated that they are awaiting the position of the ruling Moldovan Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) on the issue and reminded that they have always believed that unification with Romania is the only solution for the Republic of Moldova.
AUR welcomes “the political realism of President Maia Sandu, who through the aforementioned statements demonstrates her understanding that the Republic of Moldova has no solution to ensure its security in a situation where the war in Ukraine continues and Russian troops reach the border of the Republic of Moldova“, says the position of the Romanian party, which is the second parliamentary power.
Alina Gorgiu from the National Liberal Party, which is also part of the coalition government, told RFE/RL that Maia Sandu's statement does not represent the official position of the Moldovan state and does not institutionally commit the Republic of Moldova.
“This is a personal opinion that reflects the community of values that the Republic of Moldova has with Romania“, believes Alina Gorgiu, who is the vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.
Gorgiu recalled that Romania's position is constant, based on respect for sovereignty and democratic decisions in Chisinau, and warned that in the current regional context, the topic of unification must be approached responsibly.
“This is not the right time to politicize or use the topic of unification for electoral purposes“, Alina Gorgiu is categorical.
Another representative of the NLP – MP Ionut Stroe believes that the unification of the two countries can happen after Moldova's integration into the EU. Stroe also reminded that in order for such a thing to happen, referendums must be held in both countries and the sensitive issue of Transnistria must be resolved. The MP from the NLP also stressed that any such step must take into account European and Euro-Atlantic commitments.
„Unification of Romania with the Republic of Moldova would be possible only as a result of a complex political, legal and very clear process from an international point of view (…), Ionut Stroe is categorical. „There should be referendums both here and in the Republic of Moldova. There should be a clear change in the constitutions of both countries and obviously – there is also a need for international recognition“, he pointed out, quoted by Free Europe.
From another party in the coalition government – Union for the Salvation of Romania, called Maia Sandu “a very brave political leader“. MP Gheorghe Jima from the Foreign Affairs Committee in the lower house of parliament reminded that the issue is sensitive and added that the real rapprochement between the two countries is already happening through the process of European integration.
From the nationalist parliamentary group “Romania First“ defined Maya Sandu's words as a “long-awaited signal“, Free Europe also reported.
Senator Clement Sava, who is secretary of the Foreign Policy Committee in the upper house of parliament, said that this parliamentary group is ready to initiate a referendum procedure on the issue.
“We will support the initiation of a referendum procedure for unification and we will support this step with all our might“, said Clement Sava, quoted by Free Europe.
Romanian political analyst Cristian Hricuc commented to the “Adeverul“ newspaper that Maya Sandu's statement was “bold and a bit surprising“, considering her positions on the issue of unification so far.
“Over time, Maya Sandu took politically correct positions, trying not to angered voters who care about statehood“, commented Hrytsuk and recalled that Sandu has always followed the line adopted by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: relations based on the common history, language and values of the two countries“.
“Now it seems that she has taken a step forward and is committed to something more, and this is happening shortly after (Romanian President) Nikusor Dan said the same thing at a press conference“, noted Hrytsuk, quoted by “Adeverul“.
During her first visit to Chisinau on June 10 last year Romania's new president, Nicos Dan, said that when the majority of Moldovan citizens decide that they want unification with Romania, the authorities in Bucharest will be ready.
Former Romanian president Traian Basescu (2004-2014) also actively supported the idea of unification with Moldova.
However, the topic is divisive among the Romanian population - 47 percent support unification and the same number are against, according to data from the Avangard agency from September 2025.
The president of the Romanian Academy - historian Ioan Aurel Pop, described Maia Sandu's statement as “historic“.
“For the first time in history since 1991, when the Republic of Moldova declared its independence, the president of the republic has stated directly to the public that he would vote for unification“, commented to “Adeverul“ the president of the Romanian Academy.
However, he reminded that under the current circumstances, unification with Moldova is something very difficult.
“The situation is not the same as in 1918, nor as in 1991“, noted Ioan Aurel Pop and added that unification with Moldova “would require a majority of the votes of the population of the Republic of Moldova, which, however, does not seem likely at the moment“, writes “Adeverul“.
The historian believes that in a world where the great powers are becoming increasingly aggressive, Romania should not seek redrawing borders, but unification through infrastructure and common European legislation.
“(…) The international political scene has been very turbulent in the last two or three years and I see that territorial claims are emerging from the great powers and a process may begin that I do not want and do not consider useful for humanity - changes in borders and territorial claims. This happened before World War II, when the great powers reshaped their spheres of influence. But, I repeat, for our own good, at this moment, out of a desire to preserve peace, the most appropriate process for bringing Romanians on both sides of the Prut River closer together is the European integration of the Republic of Moldova“, explained the president of the Romanian Academy, quoted by “Adeverul“.