Moldova promises to pay for Russian gas blocked in Ukraine
Moldova assured on Wednesday that it would pay for the gas supplied by Russia but held back in Ukraine through which it transits, following Moscow threatened to reduce its deliveries by accusing kyiv of siphoning off a gas pipeline. A small ex-Soviet republic that is a candidate for entry into the European Union, Moldova heats up largely with this Russian gas which passes through Ukrainian territory. On Tuesday, the Russian supplier Gazprom accused kyiv of diverting part of it and threatened to reduce the volumes sent to Chisinau from next week.
“To be clear, all the gas delivered to Moldova ends up arriving in our country,” Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu said. “The volumes of gas that Gazprom refers to that remain in Ukraine are our reserves and they are stored in warehouses in Ukraine. Our country has always paid for these quantities and will continue to pay them in full,” he added.
Moldova, with a population of 2.6 million, is bearing the brunt of the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, particularly in terms of energy, when Gazprom has already halved its gas exports to Chisinau. The Russian gas giant on Tuesday accused the Ukrainians of diverting 52.5 million cubic meters of gas destined for Moldova and threatened to start cutting deliveries from Monday. European countries regularly accuse Moscow of using its gas windfall, on which they still heavily depend, to put pressure on them in order to punish them for their support for Ukraine. “Pressure, blackmail and threats no longer work,” said Andrei Spinu on Wednesday.
