The European Union is prepared to make EUR 60 million available to Moldova to help manage the energy crisis there, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said.

"EU Commission is making available EUR 60 million to help manage the current energy crisis," she said on Twitter, following a meeting with Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita.

The sixth meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Council takes place on October 28.

This month has seen the start of a gas crisis in Moldova. At the end of September, the gas supply contract between Moldovagaz and Gazprom expired. The contract was only temporarily extended for October, and this month, the Russian company is supplying gas at a price of $790 per thousand cubic meters, that is, notably higher than in September. In addition, only 67% of gas Moldova needs is contracted for October. In connection with this, Moldovagaz has on a number of occasions asked consumers to use gas sparingly, while the authorities have declared that pressure has reduced in gas pipelines. Negotiations between Moldova and Russia on future gas supplies have yet to reach any kind of conclusion.

Russia is ready to supply gas to Moldova at market price with a 25% discount if the country pays its debt in the amount of over $700 million. The Moldovan authorities, in turn, say that the price offered by Gazprom is higher than the market price in the region, and an independent audit is necessary to determine the size of the debt.