Moldova’s President Maia Sandu said she would personally vote in favour of unification with Romania if a referendum were held, while stressing that such an outcome does not currently command majority support and that European Union accession remains the country’s main strategic objective. Romanian authorities have constantly expressed openness for such a scenario.

Sandu made the remarks during a podcast organised at the Presidency headquarters in Chișinău. Asked directly whether she supports unification with Romania, she replied: “If we had a referendum, I would vote for reunification with Romania.”

She immediately placed her position in a broader political context, noting that public support in Moldova favours EU accession rather than unification.

“As the president of the Republic of Moldova, I understand that there is no majority that supports union with Romania, but there is a majority that supports EU accession, and we are acting in this direction,” Sandu said. “It is a much more realistic objective, and it helps us protect our sovereignty.”

The president cited the increasingly challenging international environment as part of her reasoning.

“Look at what is happening around Moldova today, look at what is happening in the world,” she said. “It is becoming more and more difficult for a country like the Republic of Moldova to survive, to exist as a democracy, as a sovereign country.”

Sandu’s comments mark the first explicit endorsement of unification with Romania by a sitting Moldovan president. The topic is one of the most sensitive in Moldovan public life, alongside the question of potential Nato membership, and has long divided political opinion in the country.

While support for unification exists among parts of the population, surveys have consistently shown that it falls short of a majority. By contrast, backing for EU accession has increased in recent years, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and amid heightened security concerns in the region.

Sandu has repeatedly framed EU membership as the cornerstone of Moldova’s reform agenda and foreign policy, arguing that it offers the strongest guarantees for democracy, economic development and security. Her latest remarks reaffirm that position, while also signalling her personal view on Moldova’s historical and cultural ties with Romania.

The president did not indicate any intention to initiate a referendum on unification, reiterating instead that the authorities will continue to focus on advancing Moldova’s EU accession path.