The turbine normally drives gas through the Nord Stream One pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany. Last month, while undergoing scheduled maintenance at a Siemens Energy facility in Montreal, the turbine was caught up in sanctions imposed by the Trudeau government against its owner, Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom. Russia responded by cutting gas flow through the pipeline by 60%. It has since said that if the turbine is not returned by Monday July 11, it will not restore normal flow. This poses a serious problem for the German government, which is struggling to fill the nation’s storage tanks to get through the coming winter. Some other European countries, such as Italy, face similar problems. On Friday, Germany began rationing hot water, dimming street lights and closing swimming pools as it faces the prospect of energy shortages that could send its people reeling and businesses to shut down this winter.
Germany pleads ‘with a heavy heart’
Robert Habeck, Germany’s finance minister and vice chancellor, has acknowledged that his country made a “serious mistake” in allowing itself to become so dependent on Russian energy. But Habeck said Berlin now has no choice but to ask Canada to bypass its sanctions and return the turbine. “It was with a heavy heart that we had to ask for it,” he told Bloomberg News. “If it’s a legal issue for Canada, I want to make it clear that I’m not asking them to hand it over to Russia, but to bring it to Germany.” The German government acknowledges that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be using the turbine as a pretext for energy blackmail. (Gleb Garanich/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images) Hambeck acknowledged that the turbine may simply be a cover used by Russian President Vladimir Putin to blackmail Germany with energy shortages. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the same openly. But Habeck said Germany still needs the turbine to test that theory. “If we want to move away from this road of excuses [Putin]I urge the Canadian government not to wait too long and make the decision before the maintenance period begins” on Monday, he said. “Otherwise, I’m sure Putin will find a political problem in the works.”
Siemens Energy says the sanctions remain in place
There were reports from Berlin on Friday that Canada had already decided to accept Germany’s request. CBC News asked a Siemens Energy Canada representative about those reports. “It’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Ann Adair said. “No change,” he added. “We continue to insist on sanctions.” Adair also said that simply handing over the turbine to Germany rather than Gazprom would not be enough to circumvent the sanctions. He said Siemens would expect to see the issue addressed through a formal exemption from sanctions, justified on humanitarian grounds by Germany’s energy needs. Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said on Friday that “it’s not simple and we haven’t made a decision, but we’re certainly talking to our friends, Ukraine and Germany.”
Kyiv to Canada: Don’t give up
Canada is under pressure from both Berlin and Kyiv. Ukraine’s embassy in Canada issued a statement on Friday, saying “we are aware of the dialogue between Canada and Germany regarding the Siemens turbine and hope that the Canadian government will ensure the full integrity of the current sanctions regime.” The government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sharply criticized Germany, accusing it of being too dependent on Russian energy and too lukewarm in its support for Ukraine. He complained bitterly that, since Russia invaded his territory on February 24, Europe has sent far more money to Russia in energy payments than it has given Ukraine to spend on defense. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky watches as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets an unidentified Ukrainian soldier as the two leaders arrive for a joint press conference in Kyiv on May 8. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images) Ukraine wants to reduce Russia’s energy exports to Europe in order to reduce what it sees as the Kremlin’s leverage over governments such as Germany’s. He would see the return of the turbine and the restoration of normal flow on Nord Stream One as actions that strengthen the Kremlin’s grip.
The pressures of the diaspora
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet on Wednesday to say the fate of the turbine is “a test of the Canadian government’s determination to maintain sanctions and continue to isolate Russia.” The letter points out that the German government itself has acknowledged that demands for the return of the turbine may simply be a maneuver to justify a decision the Kremlin has already made. “The Russian Federation is once again using energy as a weapon to sow discord among Ukraine’s allies,” wrote UCC President Alexandra Chyczij. “It is also clear that Russia is seeking to set a precedent for the lifting of sanctions, which will then be used to secure more exemptions from sanctions and to undermine the unity of the West. “Any waiver of Canadian sanctions would be seen as a capitulation to Russian blackmail and energy terrorism. [It] it will only serve to embolden the Russian terrorist state, with far-reaching and negative consequences not only for Ukraine or the European Union, but also for Canadian security.” Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson: “The purpose of the sanctions was not to punish our ally, Germany.” (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) Wilkinson seemed well aware of the pressure from both sides when he spoke to CBC News on Friday. “We have to be sensitive, of course, to the plight of Ukrainians and the terrible suffering that is happening in Ukraine,” he said. “We also have to be sensitive to the very legitimate economic concerns of Germans, who are worried, to be honest with you, that they don’t have fuel to heat their homes in the winter and they don’t have fuel to keep the industrial parts running. of their economy, which would be a disaster for all of Europe if this were to happen. “This pipeline supplies not only Germany but a number of other European countries with gas. And the government in Russia is using the turbine as an excuse to cut gas flows to Germany and others.” Wilkinson said Canada continues to “absolutely support the sanctions that we and others have put in place to try to make sure that Russia pays a price and eventually withdraws.” “But the point of the sanctions was not to punish our ally, Germany. It was not to try to collapse the economy of Germany and Italy and Slovakia and Austria. And so we are working to try to find a solution that will work for all .”
