Mass media: unclear wording of the EC became the cause of problems with transit to Kaliningrad

Some diplomats said they did not intend to create significant new barriers to the flow of goods between Russia and its eastern exclave when they approved the sanctions this year, and that the commission was vague about the rules.

Some officials in the European Union have lashed out at the extent of such inspections by Lithuania on Russian trains, fearing it could lead to a confrontation with Moscow.

“Kaliningrad is a politically sensitive issue, so it was a mistake on the part of the European Commission,” the publication said.

The day before it was reported that the European Commission issued recommendations with clarifications on the transit of Russian goods subject to sanctions to the Kaliningrad region. The document refers to the possibility not to prohibit the transportation of goods by rail, while restrictions on the transportation of goods by road remain in force.

Before that, it was said that Moscow and the European Union agreed to lift the transit blockade of the Kaliningrad region. However, the press service of the European Commission said that there were no direct negotiations with the Russian side, and the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, denied that agreements had been reached on this issue.