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Kaliningrad Region governor says Lithuania must elaborate on ban of transit to region

The governor said the European Commission uses the word transfer in its legal documents regarding the ban, and that’s not quite the same as transit

KALININGRAD, June 21. /TASS/. Kaliningrad Region Governor Anton Alikhanov said Lithuania must provide additional details about its restrictions on transit of certain cargoes to Kaliningrad from other Russian regions.

He said in a video post on Telegram that Lithuanian railway officials had reached out to the European Commission about the ban of the Kaliningrad transit.

"In our view, additional clarification is needed here, and I want to note that Lithuanian Railways, we communicate with them, our railway workers are in touch with them, Lithuanian Railways understand this and sent an additional request to the European Commission so that they give them an answer regarding the issue of Kaliningrad transit," Alikhanov said.

The governor said the European Commission uses the word transfer in its legal documents regarding the ban, and that’s not quite the same as transit. With the transit to Kaliningrad, nothing is transferred on to the European Union, while the EU only bans trade in sanctioned goods between Russia and the EU.

Alikhanov earlier said Lithuania informed Kaliningrad’s railways that from June 18 transit of some goods from Russian regions to the Kaliningrad Region was limited due to EU sanctions on Russia. The governor said the move was illegal and violated the agreements that the country committed to when joining the EU. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the action by Lithuania was openly hostile and demanded the restrictions be removed immediately. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision by Vilnius was unprecedented and illegal. He said Russia will analyze the situation and come up with retaliatory measures. Lithuania said it merely followed the EU sanctions. Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell on Monday said Kaliningrad wasn’t under a blockade and the overland transit of freight and passengers carried on. He said only transportation of goods that were sanctioned by the EU was halted.

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