Ukrainians won't accept Canada's decision to return Nord Stream turbine to Russia - Zelensky

MOSCOW. July 18 (Interfax) - Ukrainians will never accept Canada's decision to return a turbine for the Nord Stream gas pipeline to Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"I talked today with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. We discussed our cooperation, and I thanked him, thanked Canada for support. But I also pointed out that the Ukrainians would never accept Canada's decision regarding a turbine for Nord Stream, which it decided to transfer to Germany essentially in violation of the sanction regime," Ukrainian media quoted Zelensky as saying in a video address on Sunday evening.

Gazprom has officially addressed Siemens to provide documents to allow the return to Russia of a gas turbine engine for the Portovaya compressor station, which serves as the starting compressor station in the Nord Stream pipeline system.

"On July 15, Gazprom formally approached Siemens with a request to provide documents that, taking into account the current sanction regimes imposed by Canada and the European Union, would be necessary for transferring back to Russia the gas turbine engine for the Portovaya CS, which is a facility of critical importance to the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The Company also formally requested the Siemens Group to fulfill its obligations on repair and maintenance of gas turbine engines," Gazprom said in a statement on its website.

Nord Stream is now operating at 40% capacity, as one of the pipeline's turbines has not returned from an overhaul at a Montreal plant owing to Canadian sanctions. At the Portovaya compressor station, the time between overhauls before major maintenance and repairs of other engines has ended.

Earlier reports said the Canadian government allowed turbines for the Portovaya compressor station to be moved from its territory and that the plant in Canada would continue to repair turbines from Portovaya in the future.

Nord Stream went into service in 2011. It pumped 59.2 billion cubic meters of gas in 2021. The project involves Gazprom, Wintershall Dea, Gasunie, E.ON and Engie.