Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda have sent a joint letter to European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for a ban on the transit of Russian grain through the European Union.
This was reported by the Estonian government’s press service.
“Russia is bombing Ukrainian ports and blocking Ukrainian grain from reaching global markets, while at the same time trying to profit from transporting its own grain through the EU. Our infrastructure must not help Russia finance the war,” Kristen Michal said.
He also noted that they plan to raise the issue at next week’s meeting of the European Council.
In the joint letter, the Baltic leaders stressed that Russian attacks on Ukrainian cargo ships, railways and other key trade routes are aimed at weakening Ukraine’s economy. At the same time, Russia is looking for new routes to export grain, including via the Baltic Sea.
The European Union must not allow Russia to avoid the economic consequences of its aggression against Ukraine. They also called for steps to prevent grain stolen from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories from being exported through the EU.
In addition, representatives of the Baltic countries spoke in favour of strengthening the “solidarity lanes” between the EU and Ukraine. These transport routes enable Ukrainian goods to reach international markets.
- Earlier, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service said that Russia is seeking alternative routes for grain exports after a sharp drop in shipment volumes via the Black Sea.