Since June 18th, Vilnius suspended the transit of a group of goods subject to restrictions imposed by the European Union on Russia between Kaliningrad and its other regions under the pretext that they are part of said sanctions.
Zakharova clarified that if the Russian authorities describe the actions of another state as openly hostile, it means that “there is no time to find formulas that can divert the situation.”
According to Zakharova, such steps are unacceptable and will lead to a corresponding reaction. “They need to understand the consequences, and, unfortunately, there will be,” Zakharova said in an interview for the Rutube channel Soloviov Live.
The Foreign Ministry openly viewed the actions of Vilnius as hostile, saying they violate Lithuania’s international legal obligations, most notably a joint statement by Moscow and the EU on transit between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of Russia signed on 2002.
This Tuesday, the head of the EU mission, Markus Ederer, was summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The governor of the Kaliningrad region, Anton Alikhanov, declared that Lithuania’s actions are illegal and violate the agreements, since Vilnius guaranteed the maintenance of transit to Kaliningrad when it joined the EU.
pgh/llp/acl/mml