This is a historic precedent; Is a new country being born in Europe?

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has, for the first time, openly expressed support for a possible unification of Moldova and Romania.

In the British podcast The Rest Is Politics, she warned that a small country like Moldova is increasingly struggling to survive as a sovereign and democratic state, especially under constant pressure from Russia.

"Look at what is happening in the world. For a small country like Moldova, it is increasingly difficult to survive as a democracy, as a sovereign state, and to resist Russia," Sandu said at the time.

According to the Brussels portal Politico, Russia has been investing money and resources for decades to keep Moldova within its sphere of influence through political leverage, parties, and media.

Although Sandu had mentioned the possibility of unification with Romania in the past, at the end of 2021 she was much more cautious, emphasizing that such a decision would only be possible with a strong and clear will of the citizens.

Now, for the first time, she has made it clear that she would personally support such an outcome in a referendum.

Her political position today is significantly stronger: at the end of 2024, she was re-elected president with more than 55% of the vote, while her Action and Solidarity Party holds an absolute majority in parliament, allowing her to govern the country more steadily in the coming years.

Moldova faces deep structural problems: mass emigration, weak administration, a chronic shortage of skilled personnel, and widespread corruption.

The state of defense is particularly concerning: the country practically lacks a serious army, and defense spending is lower than the budget of a single European football club.

In such a geopolitical environment, Moldova remains highly vulnerable, and any major crisis could seriously destabilize it.

A potential unification of Moldova and Romania would create a country with an area of about 272,000 square kilometers and a population of 21.5 to 24 million.

Romania is a member of the EU and NATO, with a professional army and a significantly stronger economy, while Moldova is still aspiring for EU membership and has no ambitions to join NATO.

Unification would strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and increase the EU’s security influence, but it would also raise serious political, constitutional, and geopolitical challenges, especially regarding relations with Russia and the sensitive issue of Transnistria.

Sandu’s statement also represents a historic precedent, as such messages had previously come only from the Romanian side, not from the presidential palace in Chișinău.