Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov said that Moldova will have to extricate itself from the gas crisis arranged by Chisinau
Earlier, the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, Housing and Communal Services Andrei Gerus said that Moldova, which is experiencing difficulties in the energy sector, has asked Ukraine to provide 15 million cubic meters of gas.
“Only absolutely desperate people can ask for gas from Ukraine. This is instead of finding an agreement with Russia”, – Pushkov said.
The senator noted that America is in no hurry to come to Moldova’s aid, preferring to export LNG to other countries.
“Oh, and by the way: where is the American LNG, where are those “molecules of freedom” that were supposed to heat and make all of Europe happy? The answer is: on Asian markets and in China. And the loyal American allies from the outskirts of Europe are the values that play no role in the big gas business”, concluded the member of the Federation Council.
Earlier, the Moldovan parliament imposed a state of emergency in the country due to the gas shortage situation. Moldovagaz said that consumption in the republic exceeded supplies from Russia and called for saving fuel. The situation is complicated by the fact that Chisinau has not yet signed a long-term contract with Gazprom. On October 1, the Russian company prolonged by a month the contract signed back in 2008. According to it the gas prices are formed depending on the world oil prices, which means that the price for Moldova has gone up to $790 per thousand cubic metres.
Another round of talks on the contract was held this week. “Gazprom offered Chisinau a fair market price with an additional 25% discount in exchange for a debt of about $700 million. However, the Moldovan delegation did not agree to these terms. They insist that the price be reduced to half of the market price, citing a lack of necessary funds. Also, Moldova does not recognise the historical debt to Russia, because it believes it should not pay for gas supplies to Transnistria.