In early May, Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her Romanian counterpart Nicăor Dan posted a photo together on their respective Facebook pages, showing them smiling while sitting next to each other on a Romanian military plane. Sandu’s caption read, “We are going with President Nikosor Dan to the capital of Armenia, where the summit of the European Political Community will take place.”
It was the first time that a Romanian and a Moldovan leader had traveled together to an international summit and they were welcomed together at the airport upon arrival. This symbolic move was probably carefully planned, and reflected the fact that reunification of the two countries may be on the cards.
For the first time, Romania and Moldova are simultaneously governed by leaders who support reunification. Previously, all Moldovan leaders had rejected rejoining Romania. In Romania, only former President Traian Băsescu, who was in power from 2004 to 2014, supported the move.
Moldovan President Sandu is known for her federalist stance, even though she has not been vocal about it for a long time. This changed when he expressed support for the idea in interviews with international news media. talking to BBC In January, Sandu said she would vote “yes” if a reunification referendum took place. He reiterated to the French newspaper le monde end of April.
Romanian President Dan welcomed their suggestion, saying, “Romania is ready.” There are close relations between the two leaders. Both were anti-corruption activists and fought against the arbitrary use of state power.
Moldovan President Sandu, like many of her compatriots, is a Romanian citizen. He supported and voted for Nicușor Dan in the May 2025 Romanian presidential election.
shared language, history
It may seem strange that Sandu holds Romanian citizenship, has the right to vote in Romania and effectively promotes the end of its independent state. Yet for many, his attitude undercuts the linguistic, historical and cultural ties between Romania and Moldova. Both countries use Romanian as their official state language.
In 1812, the former Principality of Moldova was divided between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, with the border being the Prut River. In December 1918, shortly after the end of World War I, the ruling elite in the Russian-occupied part of Moldova decided to reunite with Romania.
In 1940, following the Hitler–Hitler–Stalin Pact, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin annexed all Moldovan territory on the left bank of the Prut, and together with Transnistria, created the Moldovan Soviet Republic. Yet by 1991, Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union, just months before its collapse.
For a long time, neither Romania nor Moldova had particularly influential unionist movements. Nevertheless, the post-Soviet Russian government repeatedly warned against reunification and alleged that such a move could embolden “fascist” forces. In fact, this narrative was a driver behind the gradual secession of Transnistria from Moldova in the early 1990s, aided by the Russian military.
Reunions are becoming increasingly popular
Support for reunification has been increasing in recent years. A March poll found that about 42% of Moldovans are in favor of joining Romania, while 47% are against. In Romania, about 72% of people are in favor of the move.
One reason for this increase in support is Russia’s war against Ukraine, which led to a radical rethinking, especially among many Moldovans with pro-Russian views. What’s more, almost a third of Moldova’s 2.4 million people already hold Romanian citizenship. Furthermore, Romania is Moldova’s most important trading partner. Finally, Moldova is disconnected from Russian energy supplies and connected to the European grid.
In May, the writers’ unions of Romania and Moldova issued a joint statement saying that concrete steps should be taken to pursue reunification. However, it may take some time for this to become a reality.
The constitutions of both countries set high standards for reunification, with Moldova’s fundamental legal document even ensuring military neutrality. The matter is further complicated by the breakaway region of Transnistria from Moldova, which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
EU says self-determination is key
Although obstacles remain, talk of reunification is gaining momentum. Moldovan voters play a key role in shaping Romanian elections and contributed to Nicușor Dan’s 2025 victory against far-right candidate George Simion.
Sandu’s petition for reelection was strongly criticized by pro-Russian parties in her country, who accused her of treason. Independent observers have also expressed skepticism about whether Sandu should promote reunification with Romania as his country engages in advanced EU accession talks – although EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has no problem with this possibility.
When asked to comment on the matter, Callas said that a possible reunification should be decided by the people of Moldova and Romania, not anyone else.
This article was translated from German