Moldovan socialists call on government to urgently discuss halting gas supplies from Russia

The Moldovan Socialist Party on Saturday, December 28, in its declaration called for an immediate emergency government meeting following the decision of Russian energy company Gazprom to stop gas supplies to the republic due to debts.

"Immediately convene an emergency government meeting with the participation of representatives of Moldovagaz JSC to discuss possible ways to settle the debts," the declaration said in its Telegram channel.

The party called for a transparent investigation into the causes of gas debts, bringing the guilty to justice and restoring constitutional dialog with Russia to resume supplies and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

The declaration says that Moldovan citizens should not suffer because of the government's incompetence. The current situation is "not only an economic but also a moral crisis" that requires urgent solutions.

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Earlier in the day, Gazprom said that it will stop supplying gas to Moldova from January 1, 2025. It was specified that Moldovagaz JSC was sent a notice of non-fulfillment of regular payments under the existing contract with Gazprom due to the refusal of the Moldovan side to settle arrears on supplies.

On December 18, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova advised Moldova to pay for Russian gas and not to invent stories about alleged blackmail by Russia.

Since December 16, Moldova has been under a state of emergency due to the threat of a humanitarian crisis in connection with the possible cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine.

Prior to that, on November 28, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Moldova 1 TV channel that the country "does not have a debt of $709 million to Gazprom". The discussion intensified against the background of Ukraine's intention to stop transit of Russian gas through its territory.

On August 27, 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (whose term of office expired on May 20) said that the country would not prolong the gas transit agreement with Russia, which expires at the end of 2024.