Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania call on EU to ban transit of Russian grain

TALLINN - Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda sent a joint letter on Friday to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for a ban on the transit of Russian grain through the European Union.

"Russia is bombing Ukrainian ports and preventing Ukrainian grain from reaching the world market, yet at the same time, it wants to profit from transporting its own grain through the European Union. Our infrastructure must not help Russia finance its war. We must increase pressure on the aggressor and help Ukraine bring its goods to the global market," said Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

Michal plans to raise the issue at the European Council next week.

In the letter, the leaders of the three countries stress that by attacking Ukrainian cargo ships, railways, and other vital trade routes, Russia is attempting to weaken Ukraine's economy. Meanwhile, Russia is seeking new routes to export its own grain, including through the Baltic Sea. The leaders argue that the European Union must not provide Russia with an opportunity to offset the economic consequences of its aggression. They also state that the export of grain stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories through the EU must be prevented.

To support Ukrainian trade, the leaders call for the strengthening of the European Union-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes-transport connections designed to help Ukrainian goods reach the global market.