U.S. backs Trudeau on returning sanctioned Nord Stream turbine
BNN Bloomberg
The U.S. government backed Canada’s decision to export sanctioned pipeline equipment to Germany, arguing the move will help shore up European energy security.
Monday’s comment by the State Department gives a diplomatic boost to Prime Minster Justin Trudeau. His government has come under withering criticism from Ukraine and its large diaspora in Canada for agreeing to ship back gear that had been stranded in Montreal since fresh sanctions were imposed last month.
“We support the Canadian government’s decision to return a natural-gas turbine to Germany for use in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. The move “will allow Germany and other European countries to replenish their gas reserves, increasing their energy security and resiliency and countering Russia’s efforts to weaponize energy,” he said.
Canada’s announcement this weekend to allow the turbine’s export came after a public plea from German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who told Bloomberg last week that Russia would likely use the sanctioned turbine as an excuse to shut down Nord Stream and cripple Germany’s efforts to store gas before winter.
