Kremlin spokesman Peskov wants to hold talks through various channels to resolve the problem of transit of goods through Lithuania to Russian territory.
According to the Kremlin, Russia is preparing for the “worst” in its Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad (formerly Koenigsberg) because of EU sanctions. Negotiations are being carried out through various channels to resolve the problem of the transit of goods through Lithuania, the Baltic EU country, to Russian territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. “Of course we hope for the best, but we prepare for the worst,” he said, according to Interfax.
Goods must pass through EU territory by land to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Lithuania no longer allows the passage of sanctioned goods. Affected are luxury goods and steel products, which make up a large part of the blocked goods. Other goods and also passengers will be able to continue to cross the country.
threat of countermeasures
Russia sees supplies in the region surrounded by EU countries at risk. The president of the Council of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matwijenko, accused Lithuania of “madness”. If no solution to the problem is found, Russia’s response will be harsh. She criticized the West’s punitive measures against Russia for invading Ukraine as illegal in general.
“But the imposition of sanctions on transit from one part of Russia to another part of Russia – this is total madness, which is not allowed in international relations,” she said. Lithuania and the EU are warned. Matviyenko did not comment on what countermeasures Russia intends to take if transit is not reopened.
Concern about the “Suwalki Gap”
The presidents of Poland and Lithuania, however, emphasized their countries’ readiness to defend themselves in the border area with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Many people are wondering whether the region that NATO called the “Suwalki Gap” is safe, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Thursday after a visit to the Multinational Northeast Division in Szypliszki, Poland. “She is safe, and that’s because of what you can see here today: the daily, silent, but absolutely vigilant service of Polish, Lithuanian and NATO soldiers.” With the planned reinforcement of Natowe’s eastern flank, the number of troops stationed in the region will increase from the current 40,000 to 300,000.
NATO describes a corridor on Polish and Lithuanian territory between Belarus and Kaliningrad as the “Suwalki Space”. By taking it, Russia could cut off the Baltic states from the other NATO countries. The corridor is named after the Polish city of Suwalki.
Passengers can transit
Lithuania has restricted the transit of goods to Kaliningrad because of EU sanctions following Russia’s war against Ukraine. Affected are luxury goods and steel products, which make up a large part of the blocked goods. Other goods and also passengers will be able to continue to cross the country.
The Kremlin threatened Lithuania with “practical” countermeasures and questioned the Baltic state’s borders. Russian talk shows demanded the conquest of a “corridor” to Kaliningrad. This has fueled fears of Russian aggression in the region.
(APA/dpa)