Chișinău (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Transnistria, the breakaway region of Moldova, has rejected a European Union offer of 60 million euros to support gas buys because of concern Russia would lose control of the territory, Moldova’s PM said.
“Russia does not allow them to accept European aid for fear of losing control over the region,”
Moldova’s Prime Minister Dorin Recean stated on Facebook. He further said the major excuse given for rejecting the EU proposal was a condition that energy costs for consumers gradually be raised.
Prime Minister Dorin Recean added that Chișinău would not leave the region and would not stop gas supplies. The Hungarian firm MET Gas and Energy Marketing AG will handle the supply, with allocation from Dubai’s JNX General Trading.
“Both companies have been audited and will supply gas to Moldova’s border under a contract with Moldovagaz [Moldova’s national gas operator]. We will allow the transit, but Tiraspol must take steps to demonstrate openness – such as releasing political prisoners, resolving the school issue in Rîbnița, maintaining Moldova’s public broadcaster Moldova 1 in the network, and dismantling the checkpoints set up in 2022.”
Severe energy shortages have hit Transnistria since Russia’s Gazprom stopped gas supplies over a debt dispute. The region is largely dependent on Russian energy sources and has been affected by these cuts.
When did the EU offer aid for gas purchases?
Earlier, on February 4, 2025, the European Union dedicated €60 million to Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova. The assistance is part of a bigger package that the EU is committing €250 million to Moldova in an effort to boost the country’s energy security following Russia’s statement that it would stop gas deliveries.
The aid comes as Transnistria is struggling with severe energy shortages after Gazprom suspended gas deliveries over an unpaid debt allegedly left by Chisinau. The EU’s support for Transnistria was conditional upon local authorities taking steps on “fundamental freedoms and human rights” and ensuring that the aid would not be used for “energy-intensive activities.”
