**Transnistrian Authorities Reject EU Energy Aid**
The government of Moldova said that the Transnistrian authorities refused to accept a $62 million energy aid package from the European Union. The decision was made under pressure from Russia, according to Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
**Reason for Rejection**
Recean said that the main reason for rejecting the EU’s offer was due to conditions attached to the aid package. The Transnistrian authorities did not want to increase consumer tariffs gradually. This condition was part of the EU’s two-year strategy on energy support for Moldova.
**Energy Shortages**
The region of Transnistria has faced critical energy shortages since Russia’s Gazprom halted its gas supplies in January. Moldova’s government said it would continue supplying gas to the region despite the rejection of the EU aid package.
**Alternative Energy Source**
Moldova reached an agreement with Hungary’s MET Gas and Energy Marketing AG to provide gas to Transnistria. The gas will be supplied from the Moldovan border under a contract with Moldovagaz.
**Reactions**
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his main challenger in the upcoming elections, Friedrich Merz, agreed that Berlin must continue supporting Ukraine and that Russia’s war must end.
