Kyiv Summons Canada Envoy Over 'unacceptable' Turbine Return

Kyiv, Ukraine, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Jul, 2022 ) :President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Ukraine summoned its Canadian ambassador over Ottawa's decision to return to Germany gas turbines needed to maintain the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to summon Canada's envoy to our country due to an absolutely unacceptable exception to the sanctions regime against Russia," Zelensky said in his daily address on Telegram.

Zelensky said the decision "will be perceived in Moscow exclusively as a manifestation of weakness".

"There can be no doubt that Russia will try not only to limit as much as possible, but also to completely stop the supply of gas to Europe at the most acute moment," he added.

Over the weekend, Canada agreed to deliver to Germany turbines needed to maintain the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, despite sanctions in place against Russia and appeals from Ukraine.

The turbines were undergoing maintenance at a Canadian site owned by German industrial giant Siemens, and Russia blamed its absence for cuts to deliveries via the pipeline.

On Monday, Russian energy giant Gazprom began 10 days of maintenance on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline -- with Germany and other European countries watching anxiously to see if the gas comes back on.