Maia Sandu rejects direct meeting with Transnistria's Krasnoselsky amid gas crisis
Chisinau rejects the idea of a direct meeting between President Maia Sandu and the Transnistrian leader, Vadim Krasnoselsky, who has called for talks with the country's president.
"Issues related to Transnistria are addressed through the existing institutional channels," commented the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Roman Roșca, on Wednesday.
Vadim Krasnoselsky said last week during a meeting with the Lithuanian Ambassador to Chisinau, Tadas Valionis, that a discussion with Ms Sandu would have a positive impact, saying problems in the region had become critical.
"The most important is securing and maintaining peace along the Dniester River," he said, adding that political dialogue had "practically stalled." He also spoke in favour of resuming the "5+2" negotiation format in the Transnistrian settlement process.
When asked by reporters on Wednesday, the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Roman Roșca, said that "a political representative is responsible for such discussions, and existing institutions and working groups cover various fields."
Igor Zaharov, the presidential adviser for public communication, also told Teleradio-Moldova that all communication with Tiraspol is handled through the Bureau for Reintegration Policy.
This is not the first time the Transnistrian leader has requested a meeting with President Maia Sandu. At the beginning of 2025, he addressed several public letters and appeals to her, accusing Chisinau of blocking natural gas deliveries to the Transnistrian region. The Presidency then rejected the accusations, describing the Tiraspol leader's statements as a "gross distortion of reality."
The topic of gas deliveries to the region returned to the public agenda after the September 28 elections, when the Russian Federation reduced funding for gas supplied to the left bank of the Dniester, forcing the Tiraspol administration to impose gas rationing.
Gas supplies remain uncertain. The company Moldovagaz, responsible for supplying gas to the left bank of the Dniester, has secured the necessary volumes only until October 15. "Regarding the next volumes, it is not yet clear when they will be available," stated the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Roman Roșca.
The uncertain situation regarding gas supplies to Tiraspol: "It is not clear when the next volumes will be available."
The Minister of Energy, Dorin Junghietu, noted that the European support of 60 million euros, which the Tiraspol administration had previously refused, remains available. "This is the European Union's support plan—the world is ready," the official stated.
President Maia Sandu has not met Mr Krasnoselsky since the start of her term, with all issues being discussed through the Bureau for Reintegration. Unlike Maia Sandu, Igor Dodon, in his capacity as President of the Republic of Moldova, met with the Transnistrian leader several times: in January 2017 in Bender, and in July 2020 in Condrița.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
