In a choreographed move, Moldovan and Romania’s presidents recently posted a picture of themselves in a Romanian military aircraft on the way to a European summit in Armenia.
They were greeted together at the airport when they landed, a first, adding speculation that reunification of neighbors could be on the cards at some point, something that Russia would be opposed to.
However, it is the first time that Romania and Moldova have simultaneously had leaders that support reunification. Previously, only former President Traian Basescu, in office from 2004 to 2014, favored it and granted citizenship to hundreds of thousands of Moldovans who had a Romanian grandparent. (Moldova was part of Romania until 1940).
Moldovan President Sandu, who is known to support reunifiation, told the BBC in January, she would vote “Yes” if there was a reunification referendum and repeated that to French newspaper Le Monde last month.
Dan said that “Romania is prepared.” Like many Moldovans, Sandu also has Romanian citizenship and she voted for Dan in the May 2025 Romanian presidential election as did uo to 80% of Moldovans.
Moldova was annexed in 1940 under the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact to the Soviet Union, In 1991, it declared its independence in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Reunification suggestions have been strongly criticized, however, by pro-Russian parties, and there are questions whether the plan is feasible as Moldova moves towards EU accession.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Brussels has no issue with the idea which should be decided by the two sides. It seems the issue has already been seriously discussed behibd closed doors in Bucharest, Chisinau, Brussels and probably Moscow.
