OREANDA-NEWS. From November 1, Russian gas began to flow to Moldova under a new contract. The Moldovan authorities are celebrating a victory - from their point of view, the country pays Russia for fuel twice as low as the market price.


Chisinau is assured that there were no political appendices to the economic contract. Neither the correction of the Moldovan-European agreement on the free trade zone, nor any change in the line of Moldova in the Transnistrian conflict.

“There was no such talk in these gas negotiations,” says Maia Sandu. And she claims that one of the results of these negotiations was the improvement of Russian-Moldovan relations. And Moscow accepted this formulation.

The problem for Chisinau is that the reality they represent is somewhat different from what it really is. And this geopolitical move can become a problem not only for Moldova, but also for its leadership.

So, there is no talk of canceling the debt for gas or postponing it indefinitely. The Moldovans acknowledged the debt and asked only to conduct an independent audit at a clearly defined time - in 2022. 

And if everything is in order with the securities of Gazprom, then the audit cannot but recognize the debt itself - in the best case for Chisinau, it will somewhat adjust the amount of the penalty.