Sandu warned the draft is a Moscow-backed provocation designed to discredit union supporters. She also dismissed prospects of an immediate referendum.

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu stated that the bill on unification with Moldova, initiated in Romania by the pro-Russian party SOS Romania, allegedly proposed by a Moscow agent and intended to discredit the idea of unification.

Sandu expressed confidence that this initiative of the Diana Șoșoacă-led party will not change the relations between Moldova and Romania.

This document, proposed by a Moscow agent, whose goal is to discredit the idea of unification, and nothing more. It would be as if I came to Parliament tomorrow with a legislative initiative to join Moldova with France… The unification is not happening that way; we all understand this perfectly.

– Sandu

She also rejected the scenario of holding a referendum on unification with Romania in the near future.

Chronology of events in Romania and the parties’ reactions

In Romania, the lower house of Parliament approved the bill on unification with Moldova into a single state. It was submitted by the parliamentary faction of the ultra-right nationalist party SOS Romania.

The bill was adopted under the silent adoption procedure (adoptare tacită), meaning it is considered approved by one of Parliament’s chambers if no action is taken within the specified period.

The document states that the Romanian Parliament will decide on the unification of Romania with the Republic of Moldova and authorizes the government to immediately begin negotiations with the Moldovan authorities in Chișinău.

Now the proposal must be considered by the Romanian Senate.

The Romanian government has already voiced a negative opinion about this document. In 2023, the Romanian Senate rejected a similar bill.

Ukraine’s position and latest facts

Last year, the Security Service of Ukraine banned the head of the pro-Russian Romanian party SOS Romania, Diana Iovanovici-Șoșoacă, from entering Ukraine for three years, who supports Russia’s war against Ukraine, and also questions the internationally recognized borders of the country.

The development of events around a potential Romania-Moldova unification leaves room for discussion and diplomatic dialogue among the parties involved, and underscores the importance of regional security and sovereignty.