Canada renews sanctions against Nord Stream turbines

The Canadian government has canceled a waiver from sanctions introduced a few months ago, when permission was granted to return Siemens turbines after their repair to ensure the operation of Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipeline.

That’s according to a statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Melanie Joly, posted on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

"Russia sought to sow division (among NATO allies - ed.) by claiming that a turbine under repair in Montreal – and subject to Canadian sanctions against Russia – was needed for the Nordstream 1 pipeline to operate at full capacity,” the statement reads.

In July, the Canadian government - after extensive engagement with Ukraine and European allies - announced the introduction of a temporary, revocable waver from sanctions for Russia in order to return the repaired equipment to Germany. Thus, Russia was deprived of a formal excuse to withhold gas exports to Europe.

However, Putin initially refused to increase exports through Nord Stream 1 to normal levels, leading to pipeline explosions in September. According to an investigation by the Swedish prosecutor's office, they were the result of "gross sabotage". Currently, the pipeline is inoperable and no timeline has been provided by the Russian side for when it will operate again.

"Given that Putin has been forced to show that his intention was never to return Nordstream 1 to full operation, and that the pipeline itself has been rendered inoperable, the Government of Canada has decided to revoke the time-limited sanctions waiver that was granted to allow turbines being repaired at the Siemens facility in Montreal to be returned to Germany,” the statement stressed.

The minister explained that Canada had made such a decision because the circumstances surrounding the waiver have changed and no longer serve its intended purpose.

"This decision was made after once again working closely with Ukrainian, German and other European allies," noted Canada’s top diplomat.

As reported earlier, the Canadian government announced the next step in supporting Ukraine's energy security. In particular, Canada will transfer $115 million in customs duties received from Russia and Belarus imports to repair the power grid in Kyiv.