The EU has tried to reduce tensions with Moscow over Kaliningrad by stating that it did not intend to block shipments of sanctioned goods to Russian territory.
The move comes after weeks of talks in the EU about the rigor with which sanctions should be applied to Russian products destined for Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania in the Baltic Sea.
Lithuania, which controls the only land rail route linking the enclave with mainland Russia via Belarus, has been carefully reviewing shipments, sparking a furious response from Moscow, which accused the EU of imposing a “blockade” on the territories.
The European Commission on Wednesday released a guide confirming that the bloc was not trying to prevent rail goods from traveling through Lithuania to Kaliningrad, subject to controls to make sure trade volumes were in line with historical averages.
However, goods that are subject to EU sanctions, such as steel and cement, could not travel by road, he said. Sanctioned military and dual-use goods and technology are strictly prohibited, regardless of mode of transportation.
Some EU officials have privately criticized the scale and intensity of Lithuania’s controls on Russian trains, worrying that they could create a dangerous confrontation with Russia in a geopolitically sensitive part of Europe.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the EU’s decision was “a sign of realism and common sense,” although she added that “we still have questions about the content of the document in question. “. Russia “would establish a comprehensive monitoring of how the EU’s steps will be put into practice,” Zakharova said.
Some diplomats say they had no intention of creating significant new barriers to trade flows between Russia and its Baltic enclave when they approved this year’s sanctions and that the commission had drafted the rules ambiguously.
“Kaliningrad is a politically sensitive issue, so it was a mistake of the European Commission,” said an EU diplomat.
The commission said the guidelines were part of “regular technical exchanges on the practical application of EU restrictive measures”.
Lithuanian political leaders have insisted that they have properly implemented EU sanctions against Russia and avoided unilateral measures, denying that there has been any “blockade” of the enslavement. In its guidelines, the commission said controls by member state authorities should be “directed, proportionate and effective”.
The EU has pushed for six rounds of sanctions in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which will affect a growing range of products as each round goes into effect. According to the commission’s guidelines on Wednesday, member states must monitor unusual patterns or trade flows that may indicate circumvention of sanctions.
The Brussels intervention came as diplomats launched consultations on a new round of EU measures aimed at closing gaps in the sanctions regime. The rules are likely to include sanctions on Russian gold following a G7 deal this month, diplomats said, as well as possible additional lists of individuals. The EU aims to approve the package next week.
The U.S. State Department congratulated the commission on clarifying how sanctions measures should be implemented.
Spokesman Ned Price said: “It is important to note that now there has not been and never has been the so-called ‘blockade’ of Kaliningrad. Using a variety of routes, passengers continue to travel between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad. that all humanitarian shipments and most other goods “.