EU urges Russia to refrain from 'escalatory steps' over Kaliningrad

"He conveyed our position on Russia's aggression against Ukraine and explained that Lithuania is implementing EU sanctions and there is no blockade, and asked them to refrain from escalatory steps and rhetoric," spokesperson Peter Stano said. Russia's foreign ministry, which earlier on Tuesday summoned the bloc's ambassador to Moscow, called for transit via the region to be restored "immediately" and vowed to retaliate if the situation did not improve.

The European Union's envoy to Moscow urged Russia on Tuesday to refrain from "escalator steps and rhetoric" over what Moscow calls "anti-Russian restrictions" on goods transiting between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia, an EU spokesperson said. "He conveyed our position on Russia's aggression against Ukraine and explained that Lithuania is implementing EU sanctions and there is no blockade, and asked them to refrain from escalatory steps and rhetoric," spokesperson Peter Stano said.

Russia's foreign ministry, which earlier on Tuesday summoned the bloc's ambassador to Moscow, called for transit via the region to be restored "immediately" and vowed to retaliate if the situation did not improve. EU member Lithuania has shut a rail corridor from Russia to its exclave to certain basic goods, including construction materials, metals and coal in response to new EU sanctions that came into force on Saturday.