Lithuania tightens control over Russian grain and wants to stop its transit through the EU
Kyiv • UNN
Vilnius calls on the EU to ban the transit of Russian grain and sanction agricultural oligarchs who support the war. Lithuania is stepping up checks on the origin of grain.
Lithuania calls on the European Union to ban the transit of Russian grain through European infrastructure and impose sanctions on Russian agricultural oligarchs who support the war against Ukraine. At the same time, Vilnius is tightening controls on the origin of grain to prevent the transit of products stolen in Ukraine. This was reported by Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, writes UNN.
Details
He stressed that the russian federation is shelling Ukrainian port terminals through which grain is exported, as well as the vessels transporting it—it is trying to obstruct Ukrainian exports. At the same time, Russia is using European ports and infrastructure, particularly in the Baltic countries, to export its own grain. Until now, this had been allowed on the grounds that EU sanctions did not apply to food products.
Lithuania will propose not only banning such transit, but also adding certain Russian oligarchs from the agricultural sector who support the war to the sanctions list
He stressed that he had already instructed the subordinate agencies to strengthen controls over the origin of grain so that grain stolen in Ukraine, or grain mixed with other grain, would not be transported through Lithuania.
Law enforcement agencies are analyzing the connections of companies involved in grain exports, checking whether they are violating any other existing sanctions and whether they cooperate with oligarchs who openly support and finance the war
He added that Lithuanian companies operating strategic infrastructure were also reviewing the services they provide to such companies and assessing whether such cooperation poses a threat to national security.