Alikhanov said that Kaliningrad handed over to the Cabinet of Ministers a draft response to the transit ban
The authorities of the Kaliningrad region submitted to the Russian government and the presidential administration a draft response to Lithuania’s ban on the transit of goods through its territory. This was announced by the head of the region Anton Alikhanov in an interview with the newspaper Vedomosti.
According to the governor, there are several ways out of this situation.
The first is through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to achieve changes in the sanctions package so that these restrictions are lifted. The second is bringing new ships to the line connecting the Kaliningrad region with the main territory of Russia, as well as subsidizing the sea tariff so that products do not become more expensive.
As a third option, Alikhanov prepared a draft response and submitted it to the Cabinet of Ministers and the presidential administration.
These are measures of a different nature, let’s discuss them if the need for their adoption is 100 percent. But I repeat: we have something to answer economically, and it is very critical for Lithuania.
The transit situation
According to the head of the region, the transit ban does not apply to food, but the most critical for the region is the ban on the transit of cement, since without it the region will not be able to build schools or hospitals. Interruptions in its supplies began in the spring, when there was a shortage for three weeks. Later, however, the authorities changed the leasing companies that own the wagons carrying the cement and improved supplies. “That is, it is a question of the normal existence of more than a million people and the economy of our region. Therefore, of course, these are extremely unfriendly steps, and these issues should be removed in the near future,” Alikhanov emphasized.
Even now it sounds that this is not a blockade of the region. Perhaps this is not a blockade in the full sense of the word, but when you are forbidden to import building materials, and because of this, sea freight becomes very expensive, then this, of course, is a blockade.
In general, the authorities of the region have already rebuilt logistics, but there is a problem with the tariffs for the transportation of goods by sea. Last week, at a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Andrei Belousov, the issue of subsidizing the ferry line was discussed, because such transportation is more expensive. “In fact, we want the tariff for sea transportation to be equal to the tariffs for rail transportation,” explained Alikhanov, noting that transportation will be unprofitable for companies if the tariffs remain at the same level as the tariffs on existing ferries.
Russia’s response
According to the head of the region, Russia’s economic response to the Baltics is a much more effective and extremely destructive measure, “comparable to neutron weapons.”
Russia can make half of the Lithuanian economy disappear. It just feels like Lithuania does not understand that the Kaliningrad region is part of Russia and that there is someone to stand up for us, we are not alone with the problem.
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev also spoke about Russia’s economic response to the transit ban.
This is a full-fledged crisis, it is simply a threat to our country. We will have to respond to this threat if it persists. The answer is primarily in the economic plane
At the same time, as it became known to Bloomberg, the next package of sanctions of the European Union will involve changes in relation to already approved restrictions, including the correction of rules related to the transit of goods to Kaliningrad. In July, new bans on some more goods are due to come into force, and the European Commission hopes to agree on positions with Vilnius in time to prevent an escalation.
On June 30, official Moscow announced that it was ready to wait for the decision of the European Commission regarding the rules for handling goods that fell under the ban on transit to Kaliningrad. Vilnius announced the imminent publication of such a document at the same time.
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