BERLIN, THURSDAY – The German government has publicly asked the Canadian government to send turbines for the maintenance of pipelines belonging to the Russian gas company Gazprom. Ukraine immediately opposed this and felt it would weaken sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the German government confirmed on Friday (07/08/2022) that Berlin had received a positive signal from Ottawa regarding the delivery of the turbines needed for the maintenance of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany. However, it is not yet clear whether the turbines have been delivered or not. Last month, Gazprom cut its gas delivery capacity through the pipeline to just 40% of its usual level. The reason given was a delay in the delivery of equipment repaired by the German company Siemens Energy in Canada.
On Thursday, German Vice Chancellor and German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said turbines were important for Russia to supply gas to Europe. According to him, the turbine must be sent back immediately before the start of routine maintenance on Monday next week. With the delivery of these components, Russian President Vladimir Putin will have no reason to shut down the pipeline.
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