Putin Wins Kaliningrad Row As EU Demand Lithuania End Blockade Of Russian Goods

Lithuania will allow sanctioned Russian goods to transit its territory on their way to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, its Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, reversing its policy after new European Commission guidelines were announced. The new guidelines followed weeks of tension among Moscow, Lithuania and the European Union that tested Europe's resolve to enforce sanctions on Russia. The sanctions were designed to bar entry into the EU of certain Russian products, such as vodka and steel. Moscow had earlier said that restricting overland transit of goods from Russia to Kaliningrad amounted to an illegal blockade; Lithuania said it had no choice but to enforce rules imposed by Brussels leading to a rise in tensions.