CHISINAU, October 31. /TASS/. Moldovan President Igor Dodon confirmed that the discount of $10-15 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas for Moldova, which he negotiated with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September, has entered force.

"Indeed, Moldova has been receiving cheaper gas from Gazprom starting from October 1," Dodon said in an interview with the Moldova1 TV.

"Starting from January 1, 2020, the discount may grow to $40-50 [per 1,000 cubic meters of gas]," he said.

In the first quarter of 2019, the price of the Russian gas for Moldova stood at $235 per 1,000 cubic meters.

After a meeting with Putin on September 7, Dodon announced Russia would cut the price of gas it deliver to Moldova by $10-15 per 1,000 cubic meters from October 1. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said the final discount will be agreed at the expert level.

Moldova’s contract for the Russian gas expires in 2019. The previous government, in Dodon’s words, lowballed gas tariffs and "left an ‘energy bomb’ that may send gas prices [for the population] hiking.".