Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) holds Russia responsible for delays in the return transport of a turbine for the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline that has been serviced in Canada.
The turbine can be transported back at any time, says Scholz during a visit to Siemens Energy in Mühlheim an der Ruhr, where the turbine is stored.
"Somebody just has to say I want her, then she'll be there very quickly," said Scholz.
The chancellor accused the owner, the Russian energy giant Gazprom, of not being able to understand all the technical reasons put forward for a reduction in gas supplies through Nord Stream 1 on a factual basis.
"That's also part of the truth," said Scholz.
Scholz arrived in Mühlheim an der Ruhr, where the turbine, which had been serviced in Canada, has been ready for onward transport to Russia since mid-July.
Russia is now delivering significantly less gas through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline than would be possible given the pipeline's capacity.
The Kremlin justifies this with the allegedly missing turbine.
Siemens Energy and the federal government, on the other hand, have repeatedly stated that the turbine can be brought to Russia at any time.
The Russian energy giant Gazprom, whose subsidiary Nord Stream AG owns the turbine, cites missing documents as the reason for the delay.