President Sandu: Gazprom Can No Longer "Blackmail" Moldova Over Gas

Moldovan President Maia Sandu says steps taken by her country -- one of Europe's poorest -- to diversify its gas supplies means Russia can no longer "blackmail" Chisinau "as it used to." Speaking to RFE/RL at its headquarters in Prague on October 16, Sandu said Moldova's move to access gas through purchases on the open market and not directly from Russian energy giant Gazprom has given independence it previously didn't have. "We don't buy Russian gas from Gazprom. We buy gas on the market, which means that Russia cannot blackmail us as it used…