by: Kevin Hughes
Russia will resume the transport of goods in Kaliningrad through Lithuania after the European Union (EU) intervened.
The group discarded the blockade, which meant that transport of goods between the Russian exclave and the mainland via Lithuania will continue. The EU made the decision before the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) 2022 Summit in the Spanish capital Madrid concluded. The announcement to drop the blockade was reportedly postponed until after U.S. President Joe Biden left in order for the bloc to save face.
The European Commission issued an order that will allow Moscow to resume sending goods to Kaliningrad through the Suwalki Gap. However, it clarified that sanctioned goods heading to the exclave could only be transported in amounts similar to pre-invasion deliveries. While the order mainly affected the situation in Kaliningrad, it also explicitly applied to all EU member states.