OREANDA-NEWS Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis claimed that concessions for Russia on the issue of goods transit through the EU territories to the Kaliningrad region could increase political tension in the region.

"Russia cannot demand any revision of the sanctions and concessions to itself. The EC clearly expressed that it must be avoided, and I personally heard that the commission thinks so. Russia cannot get a diplomatic victory on the issue of sanctions", Landsbergis said on Tuesday for LRT radio.

According to him, the EC is still developing a document on implementation of EU sanctions against Russia. The minister added that the current reflections should not turn into legal concessions.

"The biggest problems would occur if these reflections turned into a legal document, legal clarifications of the EC... I am concerned that there is a potential for this to be regarded as a sign of weakness", Landsbergis said.

The politician is convinced that Russia can perceive any hesitation of the West as a sign of weakness and the victory of its diplomacy.

Lithuania restricted the transit of steel and ferrous metals to the Kaliningrad region after the entry of EU sanctions into force on June 17. The country's authorities emphasized that they did this on the basis of clarifications from the European Commission. In response, Moscow claimed that the transit restrictions violated international agreements and announced readiness of taking retaliatory measures.