The Baltic countries insist on banning the transit of Russian grain through the EU — journalist
Kyiv • UNN
The prime ministers of Estonia and Latvia and the president of Lithuania called on the EU to ban the transit of Russian grain. The issue will be considered next week.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda sent a joint letter to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding a ban on the transit of Russian grain through the territory of the European Union. This is stated in the joint letter from the countries’ leaders, reports UNN.
Details
As noted in the letter, Russia is deliberately attacking Ukrainian ports, civilian vessels, railways, trains, and key trade routes. It states that by striking infrastructure that enables Ukraine to export and sustain its economy, Russia is making Ukrainian trade significantly more difficult, more expensive, and less safe, while Moscow continues to seek access to international markets and increase its revenues.
"The situation in the Black Sea is of particular concern. Russia’s attacks have seriously disrupted grain supplies to global markets. By undermining Ukraine’s ability to export grain, Russia is actively seeking alternative routes for its own grain exports through the EU, including via the Baltic Sea," the letter states.
The countries’ leaders emphasize that the EU must not become a channel through which Russia offsets the economic consequences of its own aggression.
"Deliberately undermining Ukraine’s ability to conduct trade while simultaneously redirecting its own exports through the EU in order to generate profits is unacceptable. We must not allow Russia to use our infrastructure and internal market to implement this strategy. We must also prevent the export through the EU of grain stolen by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. As an urgent measure, the EU should ban the transit of Russian grain through EU territory and strengthen economic measures that impose significant costs on Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations. In addition, measures supporting Ukraine are of decisive importance, including strengthening the ‘Solidarity Lanes’ between the EU and Ukraine," the letter states.
It is noted that the issue is planned to be raised at the European Council meeting next week.
We remind you
EU ambassadors approved new sanctions against Russia’s military-industrial complex and 77 State Duma deputies of the Russian Federation elected from the occupied territories of Ukraine, and also extended restrictions related to the use of chemical weapons.