Lithuania ready to expand Kaliningrad blockade, says president

RT – Vilnius is ready to expand the list of goods banned from transiting the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad if the European Union introduces new sanctions against Moscow, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Wednesday. The country is also ready to face any potential retaliatory measures Russia might introduce, he told Reuters in an interview.

“We are ready and prepared for hostile actions by Russia, such as the disconnection of the BRELL system [rede elétrica] or others,” said Nauseda.

The president stressed that the transit restrictions were not a sovereign measure of Lithuania, but only the implementation of EU sanctions against Moscow introduced by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. “We feel the support of the European Union, because this is a decision of the European Union”, he said, adding that the country is ready to expand the list of banned products if the bloc introduces new restrictions against Russia.

“We are looking forward to implementing the next steps of the sanctions, and it would be very good if the European Commission explained its contents to the Russian authorities. It could remove some of the current tensions, which are not in the interests of the European Union or Russia,” said Nauseda.

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Over the weekend, Lithuania’s national rail operator banned the flow of sanctioned goods between the region and the rest of Russia, citing European Commission guidelines. The restrictions also affected road traffic in the enclave, according to Kaliningrad officials. Both Vilnius and the EU insist that the restrictions do not amount to a “lockdown” of the enclave.

Moscow, however, unequivocally called the Vilnius move an “economic blockade” of the Kaliningrad region, saying it violated the country’s international obligations to ensure the uninterrupted transit of goods to the enclave. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday the Vilnius decision was “unprecedented” and a “violation of anything and everything”.

Russia’s Security Council chief Nikolay Patrushev warned that the “blockade” could invoke a response from Moscow that “will have a serious negative impact on the people of Lithuania”.

“It is clear that Russia will respond to hostile actions. Appropriate measures are under way and will be taken in the near future,” Patrushev told reporters during a visit to Kaliningrad on Tuesday.

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