Ukraine believes that it is important to help its neighbor.
Oleksiy Danilov is a powerful man in Ukraine. As head of the National Security and Defense Council in Ukraine, he recently made headlines saying that Ukraine will help Moldova, struggling with the lack of gas and supplies. The statement is getting attention not only due to the good nature of the deed but also because it is the first time that Moldova receives gas from other sources than Russia and because Ukraine’s gas deposits are limited due to the high demand on the world market.
For now, it is unclear how much will be sent to Moldova and under what condition. Danilov has only said that “a certain amount of gas” will be sent to Moldova without being more specific. However, epravda writes that Ukraine will send 16 million cubic meters of gas to Moldova, much smaller than the 1 billion cubic meters of gas that Ukrainian media speculated about earlier. Danilov has, however, said that the gas is a debt and that Moldova will need to return the amount at a later stage.
Gas prices are soaring worldwide due to low supply and high demand, which is also affecting Ukraine, where people fear what will happen if a cold winter hits. For now, however, the gas sent to Moldova seems only to be a symbolic amount. Still, it could increase later up to 700 million cubic meters of gas, according to sources speaking to epravda.
The Ukrainian media outlet epravda writes that a gas deal between Moldova and Russia is currently underway and that Ukraine wants to show itself as an alternative and help its neighbor, which is running out of gas after falling out with the Kremlin.
The Ukrainian stage facilities hold around 18.4 billion cubic meters and the gas sent to Moldova, therefore, only accounts for about 0.08 percent of the country’s gas reserves.
The problems in Moldova
Moldova introduced a 30-day state of emergency on Friday due to the lack of gas. The country has been hit by a real energy crisis, which according to its Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa is caused by difficult negotiations with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom over a new gas contract, which has been unsuccessful so far.
As a result, gas prices in Moldova have been soaring to $790 for 1,000 cubic meters of gas, which is much higher than the $550 in September, writes epravda. Gazprom is ready to extend gas deliveries to Moldova but wants a higher price than Moldova is ready to pay.
Most Russian gas to Moldova goes through Ukraine, which makes Ukraine an important player. The Prime Minister of Moldava has also previously asked Ukraine for help.
