Russia has warned the small Baltic country that it “could face serious consequences” after Lithuania refused to allow some goods entering Kaliningrad to pass by train.
Then he summoned the European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Lithuania, which is a member of the EU, declared that it had to comply with the Union’s sanctions. The EU announced a series of harsh sanctions against Moscow after Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The Kremlin argues that these sanctions are “unexpected” and “illegal”.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it “could take some steps to protect its national interests”.
Kaliningrad, which has no land connection with Russia, was taken from Germany, which lost the war at the end of the Second World War, in 1945 and turned into Russian territory. The strategic importance of the region, which opens to the Baltic Sea and is a land neighbor with EU members, is enormous for Moscow.
Last week, the Lithuanian administration announced that it would not allow some products on the EU sanctions list to reach Kaliningrad through its territory.
“Lithuania is not doing anything. These are the EU sanctions that came into effect on June 17. Our steps are being taken in consultation with the European Commission and with the principles of the European Commission,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis explained.
The EU sanctions list includes coal, metals, building materials and advanced technology products.
Kaliningrad Region Governor Anton Alikhanov said that these bans cover about 50 percent of the products imported by Kaliningrad:
“We consider this a very serious violation: a violation of the right of free passage in and out of Kaliningrad.”
In a written statement from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was argued that Vilnius “should turn back from this openly hostile attitude”:
“If transit cargo passages from Kaliningrad to the rest of the Russian Federation have not been provided in the recent past, then Russia reserves the right to act to protect its national interests.”
However, no details were shared about what these steps would be.
Lithuania is also a NATO member and is protected by collective defense agreements.
Analysis by BBC Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg:
Russian authorities are furious with Lithuania and the EU. They consider it a “blockade” that some products are not allowed to enter Kaliningrad.
However, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that “Russia reserves the right to take a counter step”, we do not know what it means, what steps will be taken and when.
Kremlin says it is working on this issue very intensively.
“The situation is really serious and requires a deep analysis before any decision or action is taken. This detailed analysis will be done in the next few days,” Dmitri Peskov, spokesman for Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, said on Monday.
One of the people closest to Vladimir Putin today, Nikolay Patrushev, the head of the Security Council, which has a great influence in Russia, also went to Kaliningrad. The purpose of the visit was announced as “to discuss the issue of national security in Northwest Russia”.
Officials say it was a well-planned visit.
What a coincidence…
Kaliningrad occupies a key position when it comes to “national security”. The base of the Russian navy in the Baltic Sea is in Kaliningrad. Moscow had previously deployed the nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad.