Moldova has declared a state of emergency as Ukraine plans to end its gas transit deal with Russia
A potential energy crisis in Moldova, which declared a state of emergency earlier this week, is a suitable “price of freedom” from the country’s dependence on Russia, government spokesman Daniel Voda said on Wednesday.
In an interview with local broadcaster Exclusiv TV, Voda argued that his country should not be afraid to be deprived of Russian energy, a prospect which Moldova has been faced with after Ukraine vowed to cancel a gas transit deal with Moscow starting next year.
Moldova receives Russian pipeline gas via Ukraine’s transit network under a five-year contract with Gazprom, which is set to expire on December 31. Ukraine has repeatedly declared that the deal will not be extended, and the flow will drop to zero on January 1, despite concerns from European states that continue to depend on Russian energy supplies.
Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Serebrian warned earlier this month that Ukraine is unlikely to agree to continue transit “just for the sake of… Moldova,” and the country’s parliament declared a 60-day national state of emergency starting on December 16, which includes planned power outages, citing the prospect of “insufficient energy resources” and “uncertainties” with regard to energy supplies that stem from Kiev’s decision.
The move has sparked debates and accusations in the former Soviet republic between the ruling pro-EU party and the opposition, which has accused the government of mismanaging the energy situation. Many have also warned that the country could soon face a hike in power prices amid insufficient gas supplies. However, Voda, who earlier blamed the situation on “Russia’s destabilizing actions” rather than Ukraine, signaled that everything is going according to plan.
“A possible increase in electricity tariffs is definitely the price of freedom, which we have been talking about for 30 years,” he stated, apparently referring to the fall of the USSR, when Moldova was established as an independent state. He argued that Moldova has done a lot to ensure its energy security over that period, signaling that it should continue to do so without relying on Russia.
Moldova has pursued an anti-Russian course since 2020, when pro-EU President Maia Sandu came to power. Her government has been actively pushing for EU and NATO membership for the country, and Moldova was granted candidate status by Brussels in 2022.
Russia has said it is ready to continue gas deliveries through Ukraine beyond 2024, warning that the EU would be committing “energy suicide” by shunning the supplies. Hungary and Slovakia, the two EU nations most reliant on Russian energy, have voiced similar concerns.
