Moldovan President Maia Sandu visited Kiev on Saturday for talks with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky amid rising tensions in Transnistria, the pro-Russian separatist enclave of Ukraine’s neighboring Moldova.
The region, which has a population of half a million, has seen cuts to heating, hot water and electricity since the beginning of the year as the Kiev-Moscow gas transit contract that allowed Russian gas to flow there expired.
“We will discuss security, energy, infrastructure, trade and mutual cooperation on the way to the EU,” Sandu wrote on Twitter upon arriving in the Ukrainian capital.
A demonstration took place in Transnistria on Friday to call on Moldova to facilitate the transit of Russian gas and end the energy crisis, local media reported.
Transnistria received gas from Russia through a pipeline crossing Ukraine and Moldova.
Kiev has refused to renew the transit contract, which expired on January 1, abruptly ending Russian gas supplies to Transnistria, which has declared a state of emergency.
The rest of Moldova is protected from gas cuts due to imports of gas and electricity from neighboring Romania.
In almost the fourth year of Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression, Moldova fears that the conflict could spill over into its territory in case of Russian efforts to destabilize Transnistria.
In an interview with AFP, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recan on Wednesday accused Moscow of trying to create “destabilization” in Moldova. He said the crisis could only be resolved if Russian troops stationed in Transnistria since the 1992 war against Moldova were removed.