Moscow, 08.07. (Prensa Latina) Russia today confirmed it will retaliate against Lithuania and the European Union (EU) if they don’t open rail transit between Kaliningrad and the rest of the country soon.
“We again warn that if the situation does not stabilize in the next few days, Russia will take tough measures against Lithuania and the EU, which we already have in place,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zajárova said.
The solution to the problem is taking too long, he stressed.
Zakharova said Moscow will not wait “indefinitely” as companies are already suffering losses due to “illegal sanctions unilaterally imposed by the Lithuanians”.
He stated that they are continuing the dialogue with the European Commission and Lithuania, which will ensure that the issue will be resolved in the near future.
In this sense, he added that Russia hopes that “the only right decision will be taken in Brussels and Vilnius, which will guarantee smooth transit”.
Since June 18, Vilnius has banned the transit of goods subject to EU restrictive measures between Kaliningrad and the other regions of Russia, despite existing agreements on border traffic.
According to estimates by local authorities, the measure affects up to 50 percent of the freight transported on trains.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Lithuania was “aggressive and hostile” with this decision and called for the blockade to be lifted immediately, otherwise it would take retaliatory measures.
For its part, the Lithuanian government argued that it will only comply with EU sanctions, and Vilnius will not give in to Russia on the issue of transit of goods to Kaliningrad.
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