Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to read briefly, for the interest of the committee, an article from July 12, 2022.
The headline is “'Manifestation of weakness': Zelenskyy condemns Canada for return of Russia-Germany pipeline turbines”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is personally condemning Canada over its decision to grant a Canadian company a “time-limited and revocable permit,” allowing them to return turbines from a Russian pipeline that supplies natural gas to Germany.
Zelenskyy said that Canada's decision is about more than wrongly deciding to hand over the turbines, but that it was an “absolutely unacceptable exception to the sanctions regime against Russia.”
“If a terrorist state can squeeze out such an exception to sanctions, what exceptions will it want tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? This question is very dangerous,” Zelenskyy said in a video and accompanying statement on Monday, that also stated the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “had to summon Canada's representative to our country.”
“The decision on the exception to sanctions will be perceived in Moscow exclusively as a manifestation of weakness. This is their logic. And now, there can be no doubt that Russia will try not just to limit as much as possible, but to completely shut down the supply of gas to Europe at the most acute moment,” he continued.
The turbines, part of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, had been sent to Siemens Canada in Montreal for repairs, but once the federal government imposed sanctions on Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom, the company was restricted from sending the equipment back.
Canada faced pressure from both Russia and Germany to return the turbines, fearing the risk of further energy instability. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson's weekend announcement of the permit....
The story goes on with further details.