The United States supports Canada’s decision to allow a Canadian company to return the turbines of a Russian gas pipeline that supplies natural gas to Germany, saying that in the short term it was the right decision, while European countries continue to work to reduce their “collective dependence” on Russian energy.
In a US State Department statement released on Monday, department spokesman Ned Price said work was underway to further target and limit Russia’s ability to use energy revenues in its ongoing attacks on Ukraine, while also seeking to limit the impact of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war. in the global energy market.
“The United States stands united with our allies and partners in our commitment to promoting European energy security, reducing our collective dependence on Russian energy, and maintaining pressure on the Kremlin,” the statement said. . “We support the Canadian government’s decision.”
On Saturday, Canada announced that it had decided to grant a “time-limited and revocable permit” to allow Siemens Canada to return Nord Stream 1 turbines to Germany from Montreal where they had been sent for repair.
The equipment had been blocked in Canada after the federal government imposed sanctions on Russian state energy company Gazprom. The gas giant said it needed the turbines to continue supplying Germany, having already drastically reduced gas flow through the pipeline.
German Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck recently told Bloomberg that Germany fears that if the turbines are not returned before scheduled maintenance, Russia could cite this as a reason to further cut off its natural gas supply. at home, leaving Germany without sufficient reserves.
Despite American support, Canada’s decision has drawn strong criticism from Ukraine and its supporters, who are asking Canada to think again, suggesting that the federal government’s decision has given Russia leverage. that it will continue to try to exploit with regard to the energy sector.
“What Russia knows now is that Canada and Germany turned a blind eye,” said Ukrainian Canadian Congress President Alexandra Chyczij.
“DANGEROUS PREVIOUS”: MPS
Domestically, federal opposition parties have also come out against the decision.
On Monday, NDP MP and Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson issued a scathing statement calling on Canada to reverse its “shocking and disappointing” decision.
“This decision runs counter to the sanctions that Canada has imposed on Russia in response to the unlawful invasion and genocide in Ukraine. Canadians expect their government to show real solidarity with the Ukraine, but the Liberal government’s decision is an affront to Ukrainians,” McPherson said.
“How will Canada have any legitimacy to ask other countries to hold Russia accountable for its crimes when we are not respecting our own sanctions?”
Key members of the federal Conservative caucus also decried the decision, saying in a statement Sunday that by circumventing their own sanctions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is “setting a dangerous precedent by bowing to Putin’s blackmail of Europe, and will have a negative impact on Canada’s position. on the world stage.”
There is now some pressure for the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee to hold a special summer meeting to discuss the decision and examine the effectiveness of the federal sanctions regime.
Saturday, in a statement on the decisionNatural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said allied nations “cannot allow” Putin’s attempts to use European energy security to sow division among allies to succeed.
“Canada stands with Ukraine against Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion and we will continue to work in coordination with our allies and partners to impose significant costs on the Russian regime,” Wilkinson said.
Along with the decision to return key pipeline infrastructure, the federal government announced the imposition of a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s oil and gas sector.
“We will not stop imposing these severe costs on Putin’s regime as long as their unjustifiable invasion is ongoing. We will continue to support our European friends and allies as they work to end the crisis as soon as possible. dependence on Russian gas imports by working to help stabilize the state of emergency markets and to develop sustainable, long-term solutions on energy supply,” the minister said in his statement.
With reporting by CTV National News Ottawa bureau chief Joyce Napier