Russia to continue gas transit to Kaliningrad through Lithuania
The governor of the Kaliningrad region Anton Alikhanov said on TV channel Vesti 24 that despite the launch of a terminal for receiving liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Kaliningrad region would not refuse to transit gas through the territory of Belarus and Lithuania.
"The Kaliningrad Region does not plan to abandon gas supplies through the Minsk-Vilnius-Kaunas-Kaliningrad trunk pipeline system due to the commissioning of a gas receiving terminal and a floating regasification platform. The delivery of gas to the region by sea is an alternative route, which, if necessary, will ensure the independence of the region from the supply of energy through other countries,” the Governor told Vesti.
On January 8, President Vladimir Putin opened the country's first LNG receiving terminal in the Russian exclave. At the same time, the head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, stated that the system of gas supply via the Minsk-Vilnius-Kaunas-Kaliningrad gas pipeline was completely disconnected. Thus, the energy autonomy of the Kaliningrad region came only temporarily, for the duration of the ceremony.
Lithuania has a long-term agreement with Gazprom on the transit of gas to the Kaliningrad region. According to the Minister of Energy of Lithuania Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, this agreement is valid until 2025.