The Canadian authorities are ready to return all repaired gas turbines intended for the Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany for further shipment to Russia. This was stated by Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly to CBC television.
The Canadian authorities intend to follow the plan they developed together with Germany, even as Gazprom refuses to accept the first turbine, which was ready to be shipped to Russia in July. Five more turbines now remain in Canada for the pipeline, which remains the main route for Russian gas supplies to Europe. The Russian side refuses to accept the turbine under the pretext of guarantees that the turbines will be completely removed from sanctions, and their use by the Russian side will not violate the sanctions regime.
“It was a decision we made. This is exactly what Germany asked us to do,” said the Canadian Foreign Minister.
At the same time, Joly stressed that these are not concessions to Russia, but primarily an attempt to help Germany and all of Europe, which are currently experiencing an energy crisis. Ottawa also insists that the Kremlin could have tried to hold Canada responsible for the energy crisis if Ottawa had refused to return the turbines after repairs.
“Canada does not want to give Vladimir Putin a single chance to use energy as a weapon to blackmail Europe with energy,” Joly said.
However, Ukraine does not agree with Canada's decision. Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Yulia Kovaliv insists that this decision is wrong, as she is sure that Russia will continue to blackmail Europe with gas, regardless of the supply of turbines to Gazprom.
“Our position is clear – we believe that this decision should be cancelled. If this is an attempt to catch Putin on a bluff, then in recent weeks it has already become obvious to everyone that these are “Russian games,” Kovaliv said, hinting at the Russian company’s unwillingness to accept a turbine from Germany.
The Russian sideinsists that it cannot accept turbines from Germany, as this violates Western sanctions. The company requires documents from Canada and Germany that would confirm that the supplies do not violate the sanctions regime. Moreover, Gazprom, in its latest statement, claims that there are no gas turbines in Canada intended for the Portovaya compressor station, from where supplies are made via Nord Stream.
The resumption of the Nord Stream operation at full capacity could greatly simplify the solution of energy problems in Europe, where during trading on Thursday, August 25, gas prices rose to new local highs and exceeded $3,200 per thousand cubic meters. At the moment, Nord Stream is operating at only 20% of its capacity, while Gazprom will soon stop gas supplies through the pipeline completely in order to carry out unscheduled equipment repairs.
The sharp rise in gas prices in Europe has significantly hit the economy, which risks sliding into recession. Industries across the continent are forced to either look for alternatives to gas or shut down. The problems, in particular, have already been announced by fertilizer manufacturers, which are highly dependent on gas supplies, and the chemical industry also has difficulties .
