“If the situation with transit to Kaliningrad is not resolved in the coming days, Moscow will take “harsh measures” against Lithuania and the European Union,” Russian MFA spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced. The transit of certain goods through Lithuanian territory to Kaliningrad has been blocked since mid-June.
Maria Zakharova explains that the dialogue with the European Commission and Lithuania is continuing and the transit problem should be solved “in the near future.”
“We hope that the only right decision will be made in Brussels and Vilnius, which will ensure uninterrupted transit to Russia’s exclave,” she said.
She stressed that due to the blockade, Russian entrepreneurs “are suffering losses due to illegal restrictions unilaterally imposed by the Lithuanians.”
“We will not wait indefinitely. Once again, we warn that if the situation does not stabilise in the coming days, Russia will take harsh measures against Lithuania and the European Union, the preparations for which have already been completed. It is taking too long to resolve the problem,” she announced.
On 17 June, Lithuania banned the transport of goods such as construction materials, metals and coal from Russia to Kaliningrad. Vilnius argues that this is a result of EU sanctions on Russia introduced after the invasion of Ukraine. The regional authorities conveyed that the blockade covered almost half of the goods delivered from Russia.
First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov said that the blockade of the Kaliningrad region could lead to armed conflict. He argued that the sanctions were demanded by the US and the UK, which “would very much like Russia to get involved in a conflict”.