ISTANBUL

The European Commission head Thursday announced an additional €200 million ($200 million) support for Moldova's energy security during a visit to the Moldovan capital Chisinau.

"First, we are pledging €200 million to help Moldova meet its gas supply needs. This will consist of €100 million in grants and €100 million in loans. The money should be available from January 2023," Ursula von der Leyen told a joint news conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Chisinau.

“I hope that these measures combined will give Moldova much needed support as it goes through the winter,” she added.

Moldova, a country of 2.5 million which relies on gas from Russia via Ukraine, has been suffering an acute energy crisis due to the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war which started in February.

Sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, the former Soviet country has faced power shortages following Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and cutbacks in gas delivered by Russia's state-owned gas company Gazprom.

Gazprom said in a statement last month that gas shipments to Moldova were reduced by nearly 30%.

Blaming Moldova for violating its obligations in natural gas contracts, Gazprom warned that if this situation continues, it may completely stop natural gas shipments to Moldova.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic, sits on Ukraine’s southwest border and is located around 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa.

The nation has a relatively small military, and neutrality was enshrined in its post-Soviet constitution.

The breakaway Transnistria region in Moldova is currently controlled by pro-Russian separatists.