Yulia Kovaliv is set to appear before a committee of MPs looking into Ottawa’s decision to allow the release of a turbine to Gazprom, which Canada has sanctioned over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for use in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that supplies Germany with natural gas.
Read more: Canada called Putin’s ‘bluff’ on return of turbine for Russian pipeline: Joly
Last month, the Liberal government was criticized for granting Siemens Energy an exemption from sanctions against Russia and allowing the turbine to return to Germany and then Russia for installation on the pipeline. Story continues below ad Siemens Energy has been granted permission to import, repair and return up to six wind turbines for Gazprom, and the Ukrainian embassy says Kovaliv will renew calls for Ottawa to reverse the decision. Kyiv has accused Canada of setting a dangerous precedent, arguing that the exemptions undermine sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. 2:04 EU energy at risk as Russia says delivery of Canadian-repaired pipeline turbine ‘impossible’ Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson will also appear before the House of Commons foreign affairs committee today, and Liberal leader Ali Ehsassi says it’s important for Canadians to hear how the decision was made. Trending Stories
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On Wednesday, Joly and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock both insisted that the return of the turbines used in the Russian pipeline was necessary. But they also said that the fact that the turbine remains in Germany after Canada allowed its release – and that Russia has since cut gas supplies to Germany by 20 percent – reveals the level of dishonesty by President Vladimir Putin. Story continues below ad 1:57 Germany and Canada call for return to Nord Stream gas flow Germany and Canada call for return to Nord Stream gas flow Russia had cited the delayed return of the equipment as a reason for reducing the flow of natural gas through the pipeline that passes to Germany from Russia. “We called his bluff,” Joly said in Montreal on Wednesday at a joint news conference with Baerbock. “It is now clear that Putin is rigging energy flows to Europe.” Ehsassi said Thursday’s Foreign Affairs Committee meeting would help build on “the diplomatic representations that have been made” around the decision. The German ambassador to Canada, Sabine Sparwasser, is expected to appear at the committee, alongside the European Union’s ambassador to Canada, Melita Gabri. © 2022 The Canadian Press