Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 20, 2026
1 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleRussia warns that Moldova's plans to unify with Romania could threaten its statehood, as Moldova moves to leave the CIS.
MOSCOW, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that plans floated by Moldova's president to hold a referendum on reunification with Romania would be destructive to Moldovan statehood.
President Maia Sandu said last week she would vote in favour of unification with neighbouring Romania if a referendum were to take place, to help protect Moldova's fragile democracy against Russian pressure. Romania is an EU and NATO member.
Sandu has repeatedly accused Russia of meddling in Moldova, a former Soviet republic of around 2.4 million with a Romanian-speaking majority and a Russian-speaking minority.
Moldova said on Monday it was proceeding with the necessary formalities to complete its withdrawal from the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
The CIS is a regional organization formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, consisting of former Soviet republics aimed at fostering cooperation.
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