Lithuania widens curbs on Kaliningrad trade despite Russian warning
VILNIUS, July 11 (Reuters) - Lithuania on Monday expanded restrictions on trade through its territory to Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, as more European Union sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine took effect. Additional goods barred from Monday morning include concrete, wood, alcohol and alcohol-based industrial chemicals, a spokesperson for Lithuanian customs said. Lithuanian Railways estimated that the restrictions would apply to the equivalent of about 15% of the 3.7 million tonnes of cargo it transported from Russia to Kaliningrad in the first half of 2022. That includes expanding a ban on ferrous metals which began last month.
2022.07.13 16:34: Sanctioned goods to Kaliningrad can transit Lithuania by rail, says Brussels - The European Commission has issued new guidelines, saying sanctions do not apply to rail transit via Lithuania to Russia's Kaliningrad. In the document published on Wednesday, the Commission said rail transit can only be used to satisfy the needs of essential goods in Kaliningrad.
13/07/2022 | 16:30 GMT+2: EU tells Lithuania to allow transit of Russian goods to Kaliningrad in sign of war thaw - Lithuania had put itself in a standoff with Russia by blocking the transit of many essential goods to its Kaliningrad enclave. Russia had threatened reprisals. Now the EU is telling Lithuania to back down. This is a sign that EU leaders are no longer willing to punish Russia further for the invasion of Ukraine. It's a sign that they're trying to make a deal for Russia to keep the natural gas taps open.