Latvia demands in Brussels to ban imports of Russian grain to the EU and replace it with Ukrainian grain

Latvia demands sanctions against Russian exports of agricultural goods to the EU at the European level, as all these products can be replaced by goods from Ukraine.

This was stated by Latvian Agriculture Minister Armands Krause in Brussels on Monday before the EU Ministerial Council on Agriculture and Fisheries.

“We are still asking to extend European sanctions to Russian grain and food products. Latvia has adopted national legislation that protects us from Russian imports to the Republic of Latvia. This does not affect transit to third countries, including other EU countries. But since last Thursday, our parliament (of Latvia – editor’s note) has passed a ban on Russian grain and on food imports to the Republic of Latvia,” Krause said.

He added that “everything that is imported from Russia can be imported from Ukraine.” According to the minister, this will help support Ukraine instead of helping Russia to feed its war machine.

Krause believes that the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy needs to be clarified, as a lot has changed since its last revision in 2021, and Europe now has a war on its doorstep. This development changes a lot both in the geopolitical situation and in the market.

“Now we have these difficulties at the border (Polish – ed.). We fully support Ukraine. From the point of view of the European Union, what is happening at the border is not clear. We have to make sure that we have free movement of goods between EU countries and that we do not have blocked borders. We have to adapt quickly. And not say “we will think about it and do something in a couple of years”. I think the war will be over before then. We have to act quickly,” Krause added.

As a reminder, on February 22, the Latvian Saeima passed a resolution in two readings banning imports of Russian and Belarusian agricultural products until July 2025.

Tags: Russia, grain, EU, Latvia, restrictions