Putin negotiated with Lukashenko about possible joint measures towards Lithuania – postoj.sk

The leaders also talked about the Russian military operation in Ukraine and Russian energy supplies to Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed possible joint measures against Lithuania with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko over its “illegal” restrictions on transit to Russia’s Kaliningrad region. This was stated by the Kremlin in a statement on Monday, TASR reports, according to a report by the APF agency. Lithuania stopped the shipment of goods subject to the European Union’s sanctions regime to the Kaliningrad region on June 17, including steel, concrete, wood and industrial chemicals. “The emphasis was placed on the situation in connection with the illegal restrictions imposed by Lithuania on the transit of goods to the Kaliningrad region,” the Kremlin said on the sidelines of the meeting of the leaders of Russia and Belarus. He added that in this context “some possible joint steps were discussed”. The leaders also talked about the Russian military operation in Ukraine and Russian energy supplies to Europe, Minsk reported. Russia’s Kaliningrad region is surrounded by land from all sides by the member states of the European Union – Lithuania and Poland. These European countries also share a border with Belarus, which is Russia’s main ally. Kaliningrad is the base of the Russian Baltic Fleet. Moscow says it has deployed Iskander-type ballistic missiles there, which can carry nuclear warheads. Russia is negotiating with EU representatives about limited transit to the Kaliningrad region. Moscow is demanding that the restriction in question be lifted and accuses Brussels of violating the 2002 agreement.