Latvia proposes to add manganese ore to ban on export and transit of raw materials in the 14th round of EU sanctions against Russia

RIGA - Latvia has proposed to add manganese ore and aluminum oxide - raw materials that could be used in military production in Russia - to the ban on export and transit of raw materials in the 14th round of sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU), Foreign Ministry's press secretary Diana Eglite told LETA.

She said that Latvia considered EU-level solutions to be the most effective instrument to restrict the flow of goods that could help Russia's ability to wage war against Ukraine. Latvia is currently working with EU partners to achieve this objective.

"Should a consensus for EU-level sanctions fail, the Foreign Ministry is also ready to support national or regional action to ban the transit and export of these raw materials through Latvia. The ministry has started consultations with the other Baltic states, but a decision on such action would have to be taken at government level," the ministry's spokesperson noted.

As reported, the Estonian newspaper Postimees reported recently that following the outbreak of war, the supplies of manganese ore, crucial for the arms industry, to Russia have surged dramatically, and since 2023, these supplies have also been routed through the Port of Sillamae, half of which is owned by Estonia's former prime minister Tiit Vahi, and also Latvia's Riga and Ventspils ports.

International sanctions currently do not prohibit the shipment of manganese ore to Russia.

Latvia has now called for a ban on the supply of manganese ore to Russia at EU level and is working to reach an agreement among countries in the region.