Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania discuss restrictions on Russian grain transit — ERR News
Estonia, together with Latvia and Lithuania, is seeking mechanisms to restrict the transit of Russian grain through Baltic ports. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that exports of grain from the Russian Federation, an aggressor state, through Estonian ports are unacceptable, although their current volumes are insignificant.
As ERR News reports, Michal stressed that Russia bears full responsibility for the security situation in the Black Sea, which has significantly disrupted grain exports from both Ukraine and Russia. According to him, it would be cynical if Moscow were simultaneously able to redirect grain shipments through Baltic ports.
Transit through Estonia is virtually absent
Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the transit of Russian grain through the country is practically non-existent. Tallinn, together with Riga and Vilnius, is working on a joint solution intended to block such shipments through Baltic ports and prevent the export of grain stolen from Ukraine’s territories temporarily occupied by Russia.
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Pavel Prokopenko, a representative of Estonia’s Tax and Customs Board, noted that since the beginning of the full-scale war, Russian grain has not been imported into Estonia or transported in transit through its territory. He also pointed out that high duties on grain of Russian origin make its import into the European Union economically unprofitable.
Baltic ports have significant capacity
Logistics expert Raivo Vare said that grain transshipment capacity in Estonia amounts to about 5.5 million tonnes, while Latvia and Lithuania each have approximately 2–3 million tonnes. He drew attention to the grain terminal at the Port of Muuga near Tallinn, which has deep-water berths for large grain carriers.
According to Vare, Russian grain was transported through Latvia and Lithuania, while Estonia mainly handled Kazakh grain delivered through Russian territory. The Latvian government, according to ERR News, plans to introduce a 300% duty on grain from Russia and Belarus. Lithuania, meanwhile, took grain samples at the Port of Klaipėda for testing abroad and proposed strengthening checks at the border.
