Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says he supports proposals to ban imports of Russian grain into Lithuania.
“I can only say that this is certainly a problem, and our farmers see the problem as Russian grain is entering Lithuania, including the so-called black grain, which is not accounted for and is simply smuggled,” he told a press conference on Monday,
“Without doubt, we have to fight against this, and it is quite logical given the role this country plays in destabilising the geopolitical situation in Europe,” he added. “Therefore, I would welcome proposals [to ban Russian grain imports], but of course, we should look into their specific content.”
Some Lithuanian MPs are proposing a temporary ban on imports of Russian or Belarusian agricultural products. The Agriculture Ministry said last week it would tighten controls on grain imports from Russia and other high-risk countries from mid-March but will not seek to ban them completely.
In February, the Latvian parliament passed a temporary ban on imports of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus until at least July 2025.
Commenting on Polish farmers’ protests at the Lithuanian-Polish border over Ukrainian grain, Nausėda said he expected greater involvement from the EU.
“Some things cannot be solved only at the national level as they need the European Commission’s intervention,” he stressed.
Polish farmers launched a week-long protest last Friday, partially blocking a road at the former Kalvarija-Budzisko border checkpoint on the Lithuanian-Polish border, citing fears that some of the Ukrainian grain imported into Lithuania is returning to Poland.
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