Transit of sanctioned goods to the Russian exclave could resume within a few days, unnamed European officials tell Reuters.
Lithuania could lift its restrictions on goods passing by rail between mainland Russia and its western exclave of Kaliningrad as soon as early July, unnamed European officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
Since June 17, Moscow and the EU have been locked in a feud after Vilnius suspended the transit of sanctioned goods between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia. Lithuanian authorities said they were acting on instructions from Brussels and in line with the restrictions imposed on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine. The ban left Russia with only a few sea routes to supply its small, but well-armed, exclave sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland.
The sources told the agency that it is hard for Europe to maintain its strict sanctions while also avoiding further escalation with Russia. European officials are in talks on exempting Kaliningrad from the sanctions, which could lead to a deal in the coming days.
Lithuania fears that if the blockade continues, Moscow may use force to create a land corridor through its territory that connects the exclave with the rest of Russia.
Germany, which is actively backing the search for a compromise, is concerned that the presence of its troops in the Baltic country could lead to its troops being sucked into a direct military confrontation with Russia, the sources said.
One of the officials with direct knowledge of the EU discussions said that we have to face reality and that the outcome of the Kaliningrad standoff may appear unfair for Europe.
Putin has more leverage than we have. The official said it was in our interest to find a compromise.
Former Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now a deputy chairman of the country's National Security Council, warned this week that Moscow's response to the actions of Lithuania could be asymmetric and include economic measures that could cut off oxygen to the Baltic neighbors who have taken hostile actions. At the weekend, a member of the European Parliament for Lithuania Petras Austrevicius said heated discussions have been going on in Brussels about the Kaliningrad blockade, and that Russia is winning at the moment. A document was born that would allow the movement of sanctioned goods through the EU territory from Russia to Russia, Austrevicius wrote in a Facebook post.
The MEP called for the EU to stick to the earlier agreed stance and not succumb to Russian pressure. He said that Lithuania could veto a decision on Kaliningrad if it is made by Brussels.