Railway cars on the tracks of a marshalling yard in Kaliningrad. File photoMOSCOW, July 2In Lithuania, the EU's position on the situation with the ban on the transit of goods to Kaliningrad is perceived «as a defeat,» writes Der Spiegel. Earlier, the publication reported, citing its own information, that the German government was outraged by Lithuania's actions in the situation with Kaliningrad and insisted on lifting the ban on transit. According to the publication, the EU may soon publish a legal explanation for the fourth set of sanctions, which will clarify that transportation to Kaliningrad is not affected by the sanctions.Bloomberg: The EU may adjust the rules for the transit of goods to KaliningradAs Spiegel notes, with this decision, the European Commission «allows Lithuania to retreat, saving face», while in Vilnius this step is «perceived as a defeat.» “The Germans have been putting pressure on the European Commission since June 18 so that Kaliningrad does not fall under sanctions,” an unnamed Lithuanian official familiar with the negotiations told the publication. In addition, there are already forecasts that the consequences of the dispute will be felt mainly by Lithuania itself, according in the article. “It looks like Russia managed to scare the European Commission <…> Russia has successfully questioned our reputation,” says Lithuanian political scientist Dovile Jakniunaite. At the same time, as Spiegel points out, the consequences of the conflict with Moscow for Lithuania in the field of railway transport are already becoming obvious. So, this year, Lithuanian Railways expects losses in the amount of 150 million euros, and two out of nine thousand employees of the company must be fired. Since June 18, Lithuania has stopped the transit of goods subject to EU sanctions to the Kaliningrad region: building materials, metal, wood, cement , fertilizers, alcohol, caviar and some other categories, which in total account for about 50 percent of all transit. Governor of the region Anton Alikhanov stressed that the ferry complex of the Kaliningrad region will cope with new cargoes against the background of the decision of Vilnius. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that Lithuania, having made such a decision, is acting aggressively and has gone beyond unfriendly lines. The Foreign Ministry stressed that Russia reserves the right to protect national interests if the restrictions are not lifted. in transit to Kaliningrad
