Cabinet gained nothing by waiving sanctions against Russia, the House of Commons foreign affairs committee was told yesterday. Executives with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress asked MPs to press for a reversal of a July 9 waiver that permitted the return to Germany of a natural gas turbine for use by Gazprom, Russia’s state-run gas company..“We’ve gained nothing but lost sanctions that we had on Russia,” testified Orest Zakydalsky, senior policy advisor to the Congress. “I think that’s the problem.”.“By having undertaken this capitulation, we have done nothing except placate Russia and obviously, as we can see, the return is further Russian obstinance and further Russian pressure which is what we said would happen when the government took this decision,” said Zakydalsky..“Would you agree though we’ve taken arguments away from Russia in terms of the disinformation war?” asked Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi (Pierrefonds-Dollard, Que.). “If the point is to take away arguments from the Russian disinformation war then I don’t want to know where that ends because they’re just going to make more stuff up,” replied Zakydalsky. “I don’t really understand the reason.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, the turbine to date has not been used. Russia last winter supplied 55% of natural gas used by German industry and households..Cabinet to date has not detailed any assets seized or frozen under sanctions it imposed following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine. “I have found it incredibly difficult to get information about the sanctions, the details of what’s been seized, the details of the sanctions – not who’s been sanctioned but how much and what,” said New Democrat MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona)..“The waiver has fundamentally damaged our sanction regime and has fundamentally damaged the credibility of Canada,” McPherson told the foreign affairs committee..Conservative MP Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.) yesterday called the sanctions waiver a “betrayal” of Ukrainians. “Ukraine is supposed to be an ally,” said Genuis. “The government speaks of standing with our allies.”.The Department of Foreign Affairs in a June 28 briefing note said the dispute over the Gazprom turbine was among “unintended consequences of sanctions” it had announced. “Canada has various tools such as exceptions and a permit and certificate process to mitigate against unintended consequences of sanctions,” said the note Russia Sanctions: Nord Stream Turbine In Canada.
