Lithuania and Estonia support the idea to ban imports of Russian grain

Latvia has secured support for its initiative to ban Russian grain imports from Lithuania and Estonia. However, for this measure to be effective, decisions at the EU level are needed. This was stated by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Eika Silina.

According to her, it makes no sense for Latvia to oppose Russian grain imports on its own, as unilateral restrictions will not achieve the goal. It will be a “ban on paper” that will not really work, as grain will enter the European Union and, in particular, Latvia through other routes.

Therefore, as the Prime Minister noted, Latvia became the first country to raise this issue at the EU level and intends to continue to explain the need for an import ban.

When asked to comment on the Lithuanian representatives’ claims that Latvia is a big problem in terms of Russian grain imports, Silinia said that these statements are meant to divert attention, because “there is a lot of transshipment in their ports.”

Latvia, according to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, is the second largest importer of Russian agricultural and food products to the EU after Spain.

As reported, at the beginning of the year, Latvian Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens proposed to ban the import and transit of Russian and Belarusian grain to the European Union.

Tags: grain, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, restrictions, Russia