Ukraine ‘deeply disappointed’ after Canada exempts Russian gas turbine from sanctions
- The turbine, which transport gas from Russia to Germany, is in Canada for repairs and was initially held back as part of sanctions imposed on Russia
- Fears are growing about gas supplies in Germany after Russian state-owned company Gazprom recently drastically reduced gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1
The Canadian government has sparked protests from Kyiv with plans to release a key turbine used to transport gas from Russia to Germany that has been in Canada for repairs and was initially held back as part of sanctions imposed on Russia.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement regarding the turbine, which is used on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline linking Russia with Germany, on Saturday.
Instead of sending the turbine, which was being overhauled at a Siemens plant in Montreal, directly to Russia as originally planned, Siemens will ship it to Germany.
After talking to its European allies, including Ukraine and Germany, “Canada will grant a time-limited and revocable permit for Siemens Canada to allow the return of the repaired Nord Stream 1 turbines to Germany,” Wilkinson tweeted.
This would support Europe’s ability to access reliable and affordable energy as it transitioned away from Russian oil and gas, he added.
He noted that otherwise the German economy would suffer “very significant hardship, and Germans themselves will be at risk of being unable to heat their homes as winter approaches”.
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However, Kyiv protested the plans, saying it was “deeply disappointed” by the Canadian government’s decision to make an exception to the sanctions.
“We call on the Canadian government to reconsider this decision and ensure the integrity of the sanctions regime,” a statement by the Foreign and Energy Ministries said later on Sunday.
Fears are growing about gas supplies in Germany after Russian state-owned company Gazprom recently drastically reduced gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, justifying this with the lack of a properly functioning turbine. It also affected supplies to other European countries.
German politicians called this explanation a pretext and accused Russia of an “economic attack”.
In justifying his move, Wilkinson said that Russia was seeking to exploit the instability it had created to destabilise European energy security and to sow division among the allies supporting Ukraine. “We cannot allow this to happen,” he said.
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Russia has said it will increase gas deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline again as soon as the turbine is returned. “If the turbine is returned after being repaired, then that will allow an increase in the volumes,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, according to the Interfax news agency.
“The only question is why it wasn’t done that way in the first place,” he said.
Peskov again rejected the idea that Russia was using its status as a major gas exporter for political leverage.
