Moldova's president ready to vote for unification with Romania
Photo: Moldovan President Maia Sandu (GettyImages)
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said she would vote for unification with Romania if the issue were put to a referendum. It is becoming increasingly difficult for her country to survive on its own, she said during an interview on the British podcast The Rest is Politics.
She emphasized that if a referendum were held, she would vote in favor of unification with Romania.
Sandu explained that Moldova, with a population of around 2.4 million people and located between Romania and Ukraine, has become a target of Russia’s hybrid warfare, including disinformation campaigns and election manipulation.
Sandu emphasized that such a small country is facing growing challenges to survive as a democracy, maintain its sovereignty, and resist Russia.
At the same time, Sandu acknowledged that the idea of unification with Romania is not supported by the majority of Moldova’s population. She contrasted this with Moldova’s EU accession, for which the country applied in 2022, calling EU membership a more realistic goal.
The report noted that last September, parliamentary elections were held in Moldova amid claims that Russia attempted to influence the results by promoting Kremlin-controlled political forces.
In particular, there were numerous reports of the mining of foreign polling stations. However, Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country had prepared for such scenarios and coordinated with other states to ensure the election process was not affected.
On December 14, 2023, the European Council at the Brussels summit supported the start of negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova to join the EU.
Earlier, Sandu had called on the European Union to create a modern version of the US Marshall Plan during World War II, aimed this time at the reconstruction of Ukraine and Moldova. She made this statement during the EU’s annual budget conference in Brussels.
