Russia’s Gazprom says it will halt gas supplies to Moldova starting Jan. 1

Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom says it will halt gas supplies to Moldova starting on Jan. 1, citing alleged unpaid debt by the east European country. The government in the capital Chisinau has brought in emergency measures as it braces for power cuts and accused Moscow of weaponizing energy supplies. Gazprom said in an online statement that it reserved the right to terminate its supply contract with Moldova, which has claimed to owe only a small fraction of the figure cited by the Russian company. Moldova, a former Soviet republic turned European Union candidate country,  has pushed to diversify its energy sources following Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.