The pro-European leader has repeatedly warned of Russian interference in the former Soviet republic of 2.4 million people.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said she would vote in favor of unification with neighboring Romania if a referendum on the issue were held.
The pro-European leader has repeatedly warned of Russian interference in the former Soviet republic of 2.4 million people, most of whom are Romanian speakers, located between Romania and Ukraine.
In an interview with the British podcast The Rest is Politics, Sandu said it is becoming “increasingly difficult for a small country like Moldova to survive as a democracy, as a sovereign state, and, of course, to resist Russia.” She added that she would support unification with Romania in the event of a referendum. At the same time, the president acknowledged that public opinion currently does not favor such a move, as opinion polls do not show a majority backing a merger of the two countries.
She noted that accession to the European Union remains a more realistic objective for Moldova. The country applied for EU membership under Sandu’s leadership, with accession talks with the 27-member bloc beginning last year.
Sandu’s party scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in September, reinforcing Moldova’s pro-European course, while she secured a second presidential term in 2024.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moldova has repeatedly reported violations of its airspace, including drone crashes and overflights.
The country was part of Romania during the interwar period before World War II, prior to being annexed by the Soviet Union. It declared independence in 1991. | BGNES