Nauseda said that Lithuania will not make concessions to Russia/Gitanos Nuaseda
Lithuania has restricted trains with Russian sanctioned goods, so the aggressor country began to threaten it. President Gitanas Nauseda said there would be no concessions.
Nauseda noted that on June 24, the historic Council of European Leaders ended in Brussels, where Ukraine and Moldova were granted the status of candidates for the EU. According to him, this is a huge achievement not only for Ukraine and Moldova, but also for Lithuanian diplomacy. After all, every day Lithuania was the voice of both countries in the European Union, tirelessly defending their right to decide their own future.
Restrictions on transit to Kaliningrad are spelled out in the sanctions against Russia
Nauseda said that together with the leaders of the Baltic States, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Bulgaria, on February 28, on the fifth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he applied to the EU with a request to grant candidate status to our state.“In 4 months, this vision turned into reality. We succeeded because we all worked together here in Lithuania, in Brussels, in the capitals of European countries,” the President of Lithuania said.
He added that, rejoicing at the successes of Ukraine and Moldova, it was very restless to observe what was happening in Vilnius in recent days – hot discussions about Kaliningrad erupted in the socio-political space.
“The topic is not new – Kaliningrad transit has been operating since 2004, when Lithuania joined the European Union. Transit conditions are discussed in the EU-Russia agreement, the EU is not unilaterally responsible for their implementation,” Nauseda said.
He stressed that the European Union approved the fourth package of sanctions against Russia, containing restrictions on a certain group of goods, including steel, ferrous metals and luxury goods. Then the question arose of what sanctions Lithuania should apply in case of transit from and to Kaliningrad. Nauseda discussed this with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.
It is clear that Lithuania must and will continue to impose EU sanctions. Lithuania must maintain and maintain control over the goods transported through its territory, and there can be no talk of any “corridors”, as well as opinions about the humiliation of Russia in response to the Kremlin's threats, Nauseda stressed.
He noted that he clearly explained to the President of the European Commission how Lithuania sees this situation.
“The government must urgently start consultations with the European Commission so that the imposition of sanctions does not harm Lithuania's interests or international agreements. Only by acting together will we achieve that the sanctions are painful for the aggressor country,” the President of Lithuania summed up.
Briefly on the “blockade of Kaliningrad”
- Restrictions on the import and transit of Russian steel and other ferrous metal products to the European Union began to operate on June 17.
- Governor of the Kaliningrad region of Russia Anton Alikhanov the next day said that Lithuania had stopped letting transit trains with goods subject to EU sanctions.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry called Lithuania's actions a violation of international legal obligations. Therefore, the ministry even summoned the head of the country's embassy in Moscow.
- Lithuania responded to Russia's threats because of the “siege of Kaliningrad”. The Foreign Ministry stressed that they only comply with the sanctions imposed by the EU.
- In turn, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry came to the defense of Lithuanian friends. Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Russia itself is to blame for the consequences of the invasion of Ukraine.
