Star Metro - Zelensky offers Ukrainian coal to ease energy crisis in Transnistria

The territory, wedged between Ukraine and Moldova, has suffered heating and electricity cut-offs since the start of the year when a Kyiv-Moscow gas transit contract, which had allowed Russian gas to flow there, expired.

During a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Kyiv, Zelensky said his war-battered country could send coal to power the Cuciurgan power station in Transnistria.

The plant which previously ran on Russian gas imported via Ukraine has since been powered by coal. It previously supplied about 70 percent of Moldova's electricity.

"We have coal that we can actually supply to Moldova, we can supply to Tiraspol. If they really want people to have electricity," Zelensky said, referring to separatist authorities in the main administrative city of Transnistria.

"If we give them coal, we are ready to talk about a low price, even free of charge," the Ukrainian leader added, while floating the possibility that the region in turn could supply Ukraine with much-needed electricity.

Zelensky, whose own country's power grid has been battered by Russian air strikes, said that Ukraine was also prepared to send a delegation to the plant to optimise its output.

"Now it's for the regime in Tiraspol to accept this assistance, this help and to make sure that people get heating and electricity as soon as possible," Sandu said.

There was a demonstration in Transnistria on Friday to call on Moldova to facilitate the transit of Russian gas and end the energy crisis, local media reported.

Transnistria used to receive gas from Russia via a pipeline that crossed Ukraine and Moldova.

Kyiv 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 has been spared gas cuts thanks to gas and electricity imports from neighbouring Romania.

With Ukraine's struggle against a Russian invasion nearly in its fourth year, Moldova is afraid the conflict could expand onto its territory in case of Russian attempts to destabilise Transnistria.

"Moldova is going through a completely artificial energy crisis, which was created by Moscow," Zelensky said.

"Energy resources are exactly the kind of weapon Russia uses to influence the politics of other countries through crises," he added.

In an interview with AFP, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean on Wednesday accused Moscow of trying to generate "instability" in Moldova.

He said the crisis could only be resolved if Russian troops stationed in Transnistria since a war against Moldova in 1992 are pulled out.

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F.T. Michaud--SMC