Kyiv and Chisinau are working together to find solutions to the ongoing energy crisis in Moldova, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Moldovan President Maia Sandu announced on Jan. 8.
The Russian state energy company Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Moldova on Jan. 1, triggering widespread power outages and heating failures in the Russian-occupied Transnistria region.
Zelensky and Sandu held a telephone conversation on Jan. 8 in which they discussed the energy crisis and Russia's role.
"An important task now is to help Moldova overcome its energy challenges and prevent Moscow from stirring up social tensions. ... We are ready to help," Zelensky said in his evening address.
Zelensky said the current crisis represents "an obvious attempt by Russia to manipulate energy resources against the Moldovan authorities."
According to Sandu's press service, the two leaders are collaborating on "common solutions" to prevent the emergency from devolving further, including using alternative fuel sources, such as coal.
The Moldovan government has accused Moscow of deliberately manufacturing the crisis in order to destabilize the country. Gazprom claims the decision to cut off gas supplies resulted from Moldova's unpaid debts, an allegation Chisinau disputes.
An agreement to transit Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine expired on the same day that Russia ended gas deliveries to Moldova, but Gazprom maintains that the suspension was prompted by debts, not transit issues. Alternative routes for gas from Russia to Moldova are available.
While the rest of Moldova has transitioned to European energy supplies, the breakaway Transnistria region — occupied by Russian troops since the 1990s — remains heavily dependent on Russian gas. The region's electricity system is now on the brink of collapse.
Boldizsar Gyori
(Updated: )
