German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz accused Russia on Wednesday of being responsible for blocking the delivery of a turbine currently in Germany, without which Moscow claims the Nord Stream gas pipeline cannot function normally.
“There is no reason why the delivery should not take place,” said the German chancellor, at a time when Russia has cut the volume of its gas supplies alleging the need for this turbine.
Moscow only has to “provide the necessary customs information for its transportation to Russia,” Scholz said during a visit to the Siemens factory in Mühlheim an der Ruhr (west), where the turbine is located.
Russia reduced its shipments in June and July, explaining that the pipeline could not function normally without a turbine under repair in Canada and that it had not returned to Russia due to sanctions imposed by Westerners following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Germany and Canada have agreed to take the equipment to Russia, but the turbine has not yet reached its final destination.
In recent days, Germany denounced that it is nothing more than a “pretext” and a “political” decision to influence Westerners in the context of the war in Ukraine.
The Nord Stream gas pipeline, with a capacity according to Gazprom of 167 million m3 per day, connects Russia with Germany through the Baltic Sea.
The pipeline is strategic for gas supplies to Europeans, especially Germans, who are highly dependent on Russian energy resources.
Westerners accuse Moscow of using the energy weapon in retaliation for the sanctions adopted after the offensive against Ukraine.
The Kremlin, for its part, says that the sanctions cause technical problems in the gas infrastructure and that, therefore, Europe suffers from the measures it imposes on Russia.
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