Former Moldovan prime minister calls for restoration of gas transit from Russia

The anti-Russian policy of the European Union and the stoppage of Russian gas transit through Ukraine have led Moldova to an energy crisis. The current leadership of the republic, represented by President Maia Sandu, is leading the country to a humanitarian catastrophe. This opinion was shared with "Izvestia" on December 18 by former Moldavian Prime Minister Vasily Tarlev.

"According to our estimates, Sandu and her government, to our great regret, are preparing Moldova for a humanitarian catastrophe from January 1, 2025. The bottom line is simple. The cessation of Russian gas supply for the Transnistrian region of Moldova will not allow the Moldavian TPP to produce the necessary electricity," the politician emphasized.

Thus, he reminded, the MGRES provides electricity to about 70% of the country's residents. It is impossible to compensate for such a volume of electricity neither with the help of Romania, nor with the help of Ukraine, which itself is in dire need of energy.

"This attitude of the Moldovan leadership to its own citizens means that people, the national economy as a whole have become hostages of the anti-Russian course of the European Union, although more and more European countries are in favor of both a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Ukraine and the continuation of Russian gas transit to European countries. It is clear that such a policy of genocide [by Sandu] towards its own citizens cannot enjoy support inside Moldova," Tarlev summarized.

He noted that Moldovans' attitude toward Sandu was demonstrated by the results of the presidential elections held in the fall. According to the interlocutor of the publication, even huge falsifications and machinations did not help her to win at the polling stations inside the country.

"As for the issue of getting out of the crisis, it is obvious. It is necessary to resume the dialog with Gazprom on the issue of gas supply to Moldova. Speaking about the presence of the Moldovan side's debt, this problem has never been a stumbling block for a normal dialog between Chisinau and Moscow," the former prime minister concluded.

Who was hit by the termination of gas transit through Ukraine. Parsing

The day before, the Bloomberg news agency quoted a statement by Slovak gas company SPP as saying that key Central European companies had signed a declaration supporting the continuation of gas transit through Ukraine in 2025. It was noted that Slovakia itself would cost more than €220 million ($231 million) to purchase and transit gas from another source, while in Ukraine "will lead to irreversible damage to the Ukrainian gas infrastructure."

On November 6, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak pointed out that European countries are interested in the continuation of gas transit from Russia through Ukraine, and the Russian side is ready to supply the energy resource. At the same time, due to Ukraine's unreliability in this sphere, a number of states found themselves in a difficult situation, he noted.