The return to Russia of a Siemens turbine presented as essential for the operation of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which supplies Europe, is “impossible” due to sanctions against Moscow, Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Wednesday.
These statements are likely to increase the concern of European countries, which suspect that Moscow is looking for a pretext to delay the return of this turbine and further reduce its gas deliveries, in the context of tensions around Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also accused Russia on Wednesday of being responsible for blocking the delivery of the turbine.
“Difficult decision”
Gazprom says the equipment, which was returned to Germany after being repaired in Canada, is essential to ensure the smooth operation of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which supplies Europe. Russia reduced the volume of its deliveries in June and July, saying the pipeline could not function normally without it.
The Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, with a daily capacity of 167 million m3 according to Gazprom, connects Russia with Germany through the Baltic Sea. This tube is strategic for the gas supply of Europeans, especially the Germans, who are highly dependent on Russian energy resources. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said on Wednesday that returning the turbines to Germany, heavily criticized by Ukraine, was a “difficult decision.”
“180 degree turn”
“President Putin is trying to use this turbine issue as a way to create dissension among allies within the G7,” he told a news conference in Montreal. The Russian president “tried to separate us, to play with us,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also denounced during a visit to Canada. “There is no chance, not even the slightest, that Putin will succeed in dividing us.”
Westerners accuse Moscow of using the energy weapon in retaliation for the sanctions adopted after the offensive against Ukraine. For its part, the Kremlin assures that it is the sanctions that are at the origin of the delivery difficulties and that, therefore, Europe suffers from the measures it imposes on Russia. Russia has been hit with several rounds of Western sanctions after its military intervention in Ukraine launched on February 24.
Source: BFM TV
