The Baltic States called on the EU to ban transit shipments of Russian grain through EU territory, BNS reported. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda made the call in a joint letter to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. They noted that Russia was seeking new routes to export grain, including through the Baltic Sea, while attacking Ukrainian cargo ships, railways, and other trade routes.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius announced the proposed EU ban earlier, BNS reported. He noted that Russia was stealing grain on a massive scale from occupied Ukrainian territories and selling it on global markets, while exporting its own grain via European ports, including in the Baltic States, ELTA reported. Sinkevicius said that he had discussed the issue repeatedly with his Latvian counterpart. The Estonian government has already banned transit shipments of grain from Russia and Belarus through Estonia.
Meanwhile, Kulbergs said that Latvia could not ban transit shipments of Russian grain, given that the decision was up to the EU, LSM reported. He noted that exported Russian grain was not subject to EU sanctions and belonged to buyers in Latvia’s strategic partner countries, including the US, Switzerland, and Japan. Blocking the grain shipments could lead to costly litigation, he warned. Earlier, the Latvian Stevedoring Company Association also warned of possible compensation claims and job losses, Baltic News Network reported.