European Commission Clarifies Conditions for Kaliningrad Transit

The European Commission insisted, however, that the transit of sanctioned military and dual-use technologies and cargo is prohibited.

The EU has announced that the transit of sanctioned goods from mainland Russia to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is possible by rail, provided that certain conditions are met.

In a clarification issued on Wednesday, the EC explained that, as per the measures implemented by the EU, the transit of goods from Russia to Kaliningrad by road transport is prohibited, but that these restrictions do not extend to cargo moved by rail.

The EC pointed out, however, that EU member states should be able to control this transit, and that the transit of sanctioned military and dual-use technologies and cargo is prohibited.

In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow is going to study the clarification.

"As colleagues inform me now, the European Commission just published the relevant clarifications less than a minute ago, so we now need to study them, we will provide more detailed information," she said live on Russian TV broadcaster Rossiya 24.

She also described the European Commission's decision, which "removes restrictions on a certain range of products transported by rail", as a "manifestation of realism and common sense".

"Of course, the Russian side will closely monitor how these EU steps will be implemented in practice," Zakharova added.

Kaliningrad Governor Anton Alihanov said that authorities would continue to seek a complete removal of transit restrictions.

Last month, Lithuania restricted the transit of Russian goods to Kaliningrad, with the restrictions applying to all goods sanctioned by the EU amid Moscow's ongoing special operation in Ukraine.

While Lithuanian authorities claimed that they were merely adhering to the sanctions implemented by the EU against Russia, Moscow insisted that these restrictions violate existing international agreements, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia is considering various options for responding to Lithuania's move.