Transnistria snubs EU aid, opts for Russian-backed gas deal
Russian separatists from Transnistria rejected €60 million (~£52 million) of EU aid for gas supplies and opted for a loan from Moscow. The new supplier of the resource is the Hungarian company MET Gas and Energy Marketing AG, reports "Rzeczpospolita".
The Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recean, stated that the authorities of Transnistria turned down the European Union's financial support for gas purchase. The EU offer, which was approximately £52 million, was intended as a safeguard against energy coercion. Ultimately, Transnistria chose to accept a Russian loan instead.
The Hungarian company MET Gas and Energy Marketing AG, part of the MET group founded by the Hungarian company MOL, will supply the resource to the borders of Moldova. Moldovagaz, the Moldovan state operator, is also involved in this arrangement. The head of the unrecognised Transnistrian Moldovan Republic expressed gratitude to the Russian Ministry of Energy for its assistance.
Gazprom halted deliveries
Let us recall that Transnistria has had a gas shortage since the start of the year. Gazprom halted supplies to Moldova due to an unpaid debt of approximately £582 million. Pro-Russian separatists advised the community to keep warm by lighting bonfires. In mid-January, Gazprom announced gas purchase on the open market, yet the situation remained critical.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, offered assistance to Transnistria, but there was no response. Naftogaz did not renew the contract for the transit of Russian gas, meaning the resource will not flow through Ukraine, as the President of Ukraine emphasised. Consequently, Transnistria is compelled to seek alternative sources of supply.
