Latvia and Lithuania may close their ports to Russian grain transit

Latvia and Lithuania are considering halting the transit of Russian grain through their ports, Reuters reported. The Latvian government plans to discuss a complete ban on Russian grain exports through the country, while Lithuania has said that the use of its port infrastructure for such shipments is unacceptable.

However, any Lithuanian restrictions would not affect grain transit between Russia’s Kaliningrad region and other parts of Russia. Lithuania has not yet announced specific measures targeting Russian grain shipped for export through its ports.

The potential Baltic restrictions come as Russian grain exporters increasingly redirect shipments away from the Black Sea and Azov Sea. Problems with shipping and port infrastructure have prompted exporters to increase the use of Baltic routes. Last season, ports in the Azov-Black Sea basin handled 46.3 mln tons of grain, accounting for around 90% of Russia’s seaborne grain exports.

Demand for alternative routes has already increased sharply. As of August 18, applications for rail shipments of grain to Baltic ports reached 5 mln tons, compared with 6 mln tons for Novorossiysk and Tuapse. Analysts expect grain flows through Latvia to increase significantly as early as September.

At the same time, shipments through Russia’s own Baltic ports are rising. Grain handling in these ports increased from 865 thsd tons to 1.2 mln tons in the first half of the year, while Vysotsk increased volumes from 453 thsd to 694 thsd tons. Overall, ports in the Leningrad region have exported more than 1 mln tons of grain and processed grain products since the beginning of 2026, up 22% year-on-year.

Tags: Russia, export, grain, Latvia, restrictions