“As you know, the Kaliningrad region is isolated, geographically isolated, so we could apply some measures also to cut something,” said Linas Linkevicius, Lithuanian Foreign Minister. “Transport, we could cut off trains, but not only trains, also the supply of goods, whatever. It is theoretically possible,” the official added.
Journalists raised the topic as Lithuania, which currently holds the rotating presidency in the EU, is preparing to host the Third Eastern Partnership Summit– the major conference dedicated to strengthening trade ties between the European economic bloc and six states in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. All of these countries are Russian neighbors and close economic partners.
Russia is currently building its own economic bloc – the Customs Union – which currently consists of itself, Belarus and Kazakhstan, but to which it welcomes other neighboring nations.
Brussels is locked in an increasingly tense standoff with Moscow over its Eastern Partnership policy, which is designed to draw six countries — Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia — more closely into the European fold.
At the Vilnius summit on Nov. 28 to 29, the EU is expected to sign a free trade deal with Ukraine and take further steps towards free trade agreements with Moldova and Georgia. No substantial progress is expected with the other partnership states, which remain more closely aligned with the Kremlin.
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