German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Kremlin’s bluff by allowing Russian pipeline turbines repaired in Canada to be sent back to Moscow’s state-controlled Gazprom, arguing the move removed the pretext for Vladimir Putin to reduce or stop natural gas deliveries. to Europe. Ottawa sidestepped its own sanctions against Russia in the decision last month, prompting harsh criticism from Ukraine for what it described as a bend in Moscow’s blackmail. Mr. Scholz, however, defended Mr. Trudeau and told The Globe and Mail that he considered criticism of the prime minister and his government on the matter to be “totally unfounded.” He also said he would welcome supplies of liquefied natural gas from Canada as Germany works to reduce its dependence on Russian energy. In June, Gazprom cited the late return of gas turbine equipment, which Siemens Energy serviced in Montreal, as the reason it decided to cut gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline serving Germany to 40 cents per tonne . The majority shareholder of Nord Stream 1 is Gazprom, and the majority owner of Gazprom is the Russian government. Putin’s games threaten to force gas rationing. Will European solidarity survive? The first turbine blocked by sanctions in Canada has already been sent back to Germany, but has not yet been delivered to Gazprom’s operations in Russia. Since the Trudeau government’s July decision, Russia has cut gas supplies through Nord Stream by 1 to 20 percent, again blaming the delayed turbine. As recently as July 29, Gazprom was also protesting that the maintenance of this turbine was not in accordance with the contract. German cities have already started pushing for energy-saving measures. Some turn off the floodlights at monuments and turn off the fountains. And Hanover is one of the first major cities to shut off hot water in public buildings. The House of Commons foreign affairs committee is holding hearings on the Russian turbines on Thursday and has summoned Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, Yulia Kovaliv, to testify. Mr. Scholz said Berlin’s ambassador to Canada, Sabine Sparwasser, would also testify and explain Germany’s position to urge Canada to return the turbine and repair other Gazprom equipment. Mr Trudeau explained his actions by saying he did not want punitive rules aimed at the Putin regime to contribute to Europe’s energy crisis and hurt gas consumers in countries such as Germany. Mr. Scholz, responding to written questions from The Globe, said the Prime Minister’s “strong decision” to release the turbine removed an excuse the Russian President could use to justify cutting gas supplies to Germany and other European countries. The July deal struck by the federal government includes the ability to import and repair and export multiple turbines between now and 2024. “Thanks to Prime Minister Trudeau, we were able to call Putin’s bluff. We never believed that the reduced deliveries had technical reasons,” said Mr. Scholz. “With the turbine ready to be delivered, it is up to Russia to reiterate its contractual obligations.” The turbines are vital components of the compression stations along the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that maintain pressure in the line as it carries gas from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany. The German leader said Russia was trying to divide the allies by blaming a turbine delay for reduced gas shipments. “Russia is trying to exert pressure and pit one ally against another,” Mr Scholz said, adding that this must not be allowed to succeed. Germany’s Siemens Energy was maintaining the turbine at its Montreal facility when Ottawa imposed sanctions to punish Russia for its war against Ukraine. At Germany’s urging, Canada approved a sanctions permit that operates as an exemption and allows up to six Nord Stream 1 turbines to be imported, repaired and exported to Canada over the next two years. Ottawa’s July 9 decision to equip the turbine was also supported by US President Joe Biden’s administration, which called it the right move because it would allow Europe to boost its natural gas reserves for the cold winter months ahead. . “If Moscow decides not to honor its contractual obligations, then let that be clear to the whole world. Thanks to Canada, that will now happen,” said Mr. Scholz. “It’s a well-known playbook by now: Russia wanted to stop gas deliveries and blame the sanctions regime for the result.” President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian government sharply criticized Ottawa’s decision, saying it set a dangerous precedent that would encourage Mr. Putin to continue using energy as a weapon. Critics, including the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said Ottawa’s decision to create a loophole in its sanctions undermines sanctions against Russia for its full military offensive in Ukraine. The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), an advocacy group representing Ukrainians abroad, announced a legal challenge to the decision in the Federal Court of Canada. Germany’s chancellor said Western sanctions against Russia are increasing, not decreasing. “I find the criticism against Justin Trudeau and his government completely unfounded. The decision to hand over the turbine is not a favor to Gazprom,” said Mr. Scholz. “It is a strong sign of support for Germany and Europe and for maintaining solidarity among close allies in order to maintain long-term support for Ukraine. How would the weakening of Germany and Europe help Ukraine?’ Mr Scholz said Western sanctions should not punish Europe and noted that they mostly work to cripple Russia. “Russian production capacity is falling rapidly, its economy is in recession and its access to critical goods has been significantly reduced,” he said. Ukraine has argued that Germany could have obtained natural gas from the Gazprom pipeline that passes through Ukraine. “Why will Russia deliver more natural gas through Ukraine? I don’t believe that would have happened,” Mr Scholz said. Asked why Germany remained dependent on Russian gas when the United States warned years ago that Mr. Putin could weaponize energy supplies, Mr. Scholz noted that his country and others in Europe buy that fuel from Russia for decades. He recalled that there was a time when countries hoped that Moscow could be a constructive player on the international stage. “But again: I don’t want to deny that we have relied too long and too one-sidedly on energy supplies from Russia. Today, we live in a different reality and we are adapting quickly,” he said, noting that Germany will stop importing Russian oil by the end of the year. “Natural gas is the most difficult part, but the share of Russian natural gas in our imports has declined rapidly, in just a few months from 55 percent to 30 percent,” he said. “In this context, we will welcome LNG supplies from Canada as well.” The chancellor will bring a trade delegation to Canada in August to explore the possibility of German investment and technology assistance to build two liquefied natural gas facilities on the East Coast. He said Germany is interested in Canadian hydrogen energy and Canada’s abundant deposits of critical and rare earth minerals. 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