EU says Kaliningrad rail transport not banned but should be checked

FILE PHOTO: The ferry Ursa Major, which operates on a route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, is seen at a commercial port in the Baltic Sea town of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region, Russia July 3, 2022. REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar/File Photo

The European Union executive said on Wednesday that sanctioned Russian goods could transit through the bloc's territory by rail, after tensions between Moscow and EU member Lithuania escalated over trade with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave.

"The transit of sanctioned goods by road with Russian operators is not allowed under the EU measures. No such similar prohibition exists for rail transport," said the European Commission, adding that EU states should check such trains.