The European Union and EU candidate Moldova reached a landmark energy security deal on February 4, aiming to end the country's dependence on Russian gas and integrate it into the 27-member bloc's energy network, AP reported.
The EU will provide Moldova with 250 million euros ($258 million) in aid this year, of which 40 percent will be disbursed before mid-April, the European Commission said in a statement.
The aid package comes after Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Moldova from January 1, 2025, plunging the country into a severe energy crisis.
After Gazprom cut off gas supplies, the Kuciurgan power plant - Moldova's largest, which runs on Russian gas - was shut down, causing widespread blackouts. Hundreds of thousands of people in the breakaway region of Transnistria faced no heating or hot water in the harsh winter.
As a candidate country for EU membership, Moldova will receive a financial package to help its citizens pay their rising electricity bills, with the EU allocating 60 million euros ($62 million) to the 350,000 people in Transnistria, which is suffering the most severe energy crisis.
A month-long power outage in Transnistria ended on February 3 with the resumption of EU-funded gas supplies. Moldova energy company Moldovagaz shipped the first shipment of 3 million cubic meters of gas to the breakaway region on February 1.
After Ukraine refused to extend a transit agreement for Russian gas to Europe, Moldova asked Gazprom to supply gas via alternative routes, primarily Türkiye. However, Gazprom said Moldova must first settle its debt, which it estimated at $709 million - a figure Chisinau disputed.
Moldova, a former Soviet state with a population of about 2.5 million, was completely dependent on Russian gas before the Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022. However, since then, the country has been actively diversifying its energy sources, seeking to integrate with Europe and reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
Meanwhile, Transnistria declared its secession from Moldova in 1992 after a brief war, but has not been widely recognized internationally. The region has a Russian military presence and has been a geopolitical flashpoint between Moscow and the West.
