Kaliningrad Authorities Want to Exempt Transit From Latest Set of EU Restrictions

Earlier in the day, Lithuania expanded restrictions on the transit of goods to the Russian exclave, Reuters reported, citing the customs service of the Baltic state. Authorities of the Kaliningrad Region stated on Monday that EU sanctions should not be applied to the transit of goods. Governor Anton Alihanov expressed hope that the Russian foreign ministry will resolve the issue and offered some retaliatory measures for the Baltic states. "In response [to the restrictions], we propose a complete ban on the movement of goods (including transit goods from third countries) between the three Baltic countries and Russia (with an exception for the Kaliningrad region)," Alihanov wrote on Telegram. He also noted that Vilnius did not directly impose sanctions against the transit, saying that the restrictions were adopted by the EU back in March, and that another stage had gone into effect. Previously, reports suggested that the new round of restrictions applied by Lithuania affects alcohol, spirit-based industrial chemicals and cement. The European Union imposed sanctions on Russia following the start of the special operation in Ukraine, but made an exemption for Russian transit to Kaliningrad - an exclave located on the Baltic Sea coast which borders Poland and Lithuania. However, Lithuania nevertheless applied restrictions to transit from mainland Russia, citing the EU decision. Moscow noted that the European Commission has pledged to resolve the crisis. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that such a resolution is overdue. She warned that Russia's patience is not limitless, stressing that if the situation remains undecided, Russia would retaliate with stern measures, targeting both Lithuania and the EU as a whole. "The European Commission, the European Union, must understand that the clock is ticking, and our patience is not limitless… No one has officially let them into the details… but we have said multiple times, publicly and directly, that the response will be considerable", she stated. Moscow also reminded Lithuania that the Baltic nation was bound by an agreement that says it must allow Russian goods to flow unimpeded to Kaliningrad. Read more: https://sputniknews.com/20220711/kaliningrad-authorities-want-to-exempt-transit-from-latest-set-of-eu-restrictions-1097177857.html