As Lithuania mulls completely suspending the transit of Russian and Belarusian cargo through its territory, the country's Transport and Communications Minister Marius Skuodis says an agreement should be reached between the Baltic states and across the EU.
"On our part, we are ensuring control as much as possible, but when it comes to the complete elimination [of Russian and Belarusian cargo], we need a broader group of countries and the European Union level. Otherwise, if we take this step on our own, we could face all sorts of consequences," Skuodis told reporters on Wednesday.
"I may [appear] undiplomatic, but we are seeing a situation where Estonian Railways made certain decisions and Latvian Railways took over the cargo. That is why we, the three Baltic ministers, are talking about resolving this issue once and for all," he added.
In December, the Estonian government banned the state-owned railway company Operail from carrying Russian and Belarusian cargo.
"We have railway companies in other countries that can transport cargo, so when making one decision, you have to think about other consequences," Skuodis said. "We also have trucks. And the European Union's external border is one issue, and the internal border with all the domestic traffic is the second issue. We need sustainable and intelligent solutions."
Read more: Cargo, two people detained in Lithuania amid Belarusian fertiliser smuggling probe
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