Opposition, Transnistria Denounce Sandu’s Support for Possible Union With Romania

Overview

• In a podcast interview, President Maia Sandu said she would vote for Moldova to join Romania if a referendum were held, citing difficult international conditions.
• Transnistrian official Andrey Safonov called the remark a provocation toward the breakaway region and tied it to what he portrays as growing Romanian influence, including Romanian bids for the EBRD-owned Giurgiulesti port operator.
• Opposition MP Diana Karaman condemned the stance as voluntary capitulation and alleged it violates the constitution and the presidential oath.
• Former president Igor Dodon accused Sandu’s team of trying to leverage talk of union as a shortcut to the EU and NATO to secure Western funding, warning the approach could heighten tensions.
• Transnistrian authorities also asserted that Western backers are militarizing Moldova and pointed to a new defense strategy that boosts spending and deepens NATO cooperation, a course the opposition says clashes with the country’s neutrality.