The fact that part of a Russian natural gas pipeline remains in Germany after returning to Europe from Canada exposes the dishonesty of President Vladimir Putin, the foreign ministers of Canada and Germany said on Wednesday. “We called his bluff,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie told reporters in Montreal of the Russian president at a joint news conference with her German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock. “It is now clear that Putin is rigging energy flows to Europe.” Since Canada allowed the return of a turbine used in the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, Russia has cut gas supplies to Germany by 20%. Ministers say this shows Putin is using energy as a weapon of war.
“It had to be clear to the world, so (Putin) could not use the pretext of a turbine stuck in Montreal as a reason why he was reducing the flow of Nord Stream 1,” Joly said later in the day at an event . with Baerbock hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. “That’s why we decided to send it back.” In mid-July, the Liberal government was criticized for granting Siemens Energy an exemption from sanctions against Russia and allowing a turbine — which had been in Montreal for repairs — to return to Germany and then to Russia for installation on the pipeline . The Ukrainian government has accused Canada of setting a dangerous precedent that risks jeopardizing economic sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. “What we’re seeing right now is that Putin was trying to sow division within the alliance, within the G7,” Joly said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz inspected the turbine on Wednesday in Germany and said there were “no problems” preventing the part from being returned to Russia, apart from a lack of information from Russia’s state-controlled gas company, Gazprom. Gazprom last week blamed reduced gas supplies to Germany for delays in turbine delivery due to Western sanctions. The company wants specific documents from Siemens Energy proving the turbine is not subject to Western sanctions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Baerbock said the bureaucracy is being fixed and accused Putin of trying to use the turbine issue to divide countries that support Ukraine. “Putin tried to divide us,” he said. “He tried to play games with us and now the whole world can clearly see that he is just using energy as a game.” Canada has granted exemptions to Siemens Energy for six turbines. Germany relies almost exclusively on natural gas for heating, Baerbock said, adding that it was a “mistake” to depend on Russia for energy. “It was a mistake to be so dependent on cheap Russian gas,” she said, adding that her government is committed to phasing out Russian gas and will turn to Canada. “This partnership must be based on common rules, on common standards, and that is why, for us, Canada is one of the most important partners,” Baerbock said. Joly told the chamber of commerce audience that Germany is looking to invest in liquefied natural gas projects in Canada, adding that she has met with the governments of Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador to discuss hydrogen projects that could also lead to energy exports. Earlier in the day, the two ministers toured grain silos at the Port of Montreal. “Canada increased our domestic grain production by 30 percent this year,” Jolly said, adding that wheat production increased by 7 percent. “We are sending mobile grain silos to Ukraine so we don’t lose production,” he said. “We are sending ships to bring the grain where it is needed and increasing our donation to the World Food Program (UN).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 3, 2022. — With files from The Associated Press
