The EU will reconsider the blockade of Kaliningrad after Russia announced retaliation.
The EU is not seeking to "encircle" Russia's Kaliningrad region and will review sanctions to avoid blocking travel into and out of the territory, EU High Commissioner for Security and Foreign Policy Josep Borrell said on June 23.
Lithuania's actions to restrict travel to and from Kaliningrad, taken in accordance with European Commission guidelines, are aimed at preventing the breach of sanctions against Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Borrell explained.
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A cargo ship in Kaliningrad, Russia, on June 20. Photo: Sputnik |
"We want to control and prevent any circumvention of sanctions, not to prevent travel. The European Commission and the European External Action Agency will review the guidelines to clarify that we do not want to ban travel between Russia and Kaliningrad," Borrell commented.
Last weekend, Lithuania's national railway operator banned certain sanctioned goods from being transported between the region and Russia, citing sanctions imposed by the European Commission. This restriction is expected to affect around 50% of freight flows between Kaliningrad and Russia, as well as impacting land travel.
While Moscow called the move an "economic blockade" of the region, both the EU and Lithuania insisted the measures were not intended to do so. Senior Russian officials also declared they would retaliate against "these hostile actions." The head of the Russian Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, stated that there would be retaliatory steps that would "cause serious negative consequences for the Lithuanian people."
"Of course, Russia will respond to these hostile actions. Appropriate measures are being discussed and will be implemented in the near future," Nikolay Patrushev stated.
