The European Union and the United States do not consider Canadaʼs decision to return the repaired turbines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany to be a violation of sanctions.
This was stated by the spokesperson of the European Commission, Tim McPhee, and the representative of the State Department, Ned Price, at a briefing in Brussels.
According to Price, the turbine repaired in Canada will enable European countries to replenish gas reserves in the short term, increase their energy security and stability, as well as "to counter Russiaʼs attempts to turn energy into a weapon."
- On July 10, Canadaʼs Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson announced that his country would make an exception to the sanctions introduced against Russia and return a turbine to Germany, which is needed to service the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
- Serhiy Makohon, general director of the "Operator GTS of Ukraine" LLC, said that Canada has succumbed to pressure, and Russia will continue to blackmail the EU. The Ukrainian side emphasizes that the Russian Federation can continue the uninterrupted supply of gas to the EU, even if for some reason transportation via the Nord Stream is impossible. In particular, Russia can use the transit capacity through Ukraine that it has already paid for. However, the Russians are deliberately cutting supplies in order to blackmail the EU and force certain exemptions from sanctions.