Lithuania will propose that the European Union ban the transit of Russian grain through the bloc and impose sanctions on Russian agricultural oligarchs who support the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said.
“Russia is using European ports and infrastructure, including those of the Baltic states, to export its grain,” Sinkevičius wrote on Facebook. He said the situation was unacceptable and that Lithuania would seek both a transit ban and sanctions against individual Russian agricultural oligarchs.
The EU currently does not prohibit international trade in Russian agricultural and food products, including grain, with third countries. In 2024, the bloc imposed tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grain products, but those measures did not completely prevent their transit through the EU to third countries.
Sinkevičius said Russia was using EU infrastructure while intensifying attacks on Ukraine, including on its ports and grain ships, and exporting grain allegedly taken from occupied Ukrainian territories.
“We will not allow the Russian war machine to profit by using our infrastructure as a gateway to world markets,” he said.
Lithuania has stepped up checks on grain transiting the country from Russia and Belarus. Since the beginning of September, the State Food and Veterinary Service has taken five samples from two shipments whose origins were unclear, with the samples being tested at foreign laboratories.
Sinkevičius said the transit of Russian grain was a common concern for the Baltic states and that Lithuania and Latvia had similar positions.
Estonia banned the transit of Russian- and Belarusian-origin grain through its territory on October 1. Latvia has also called for closer cooperation among the Baltic states on border controls and inspections of Russian grain shipments.
The issue has gained prominence after Russian grain began appearing in Baltic transport flows. Lithuanian officials have said the country’s infrastructure should not be used to facilitate Russian grain exports.
According to the State Food and Veterinary Service, no shipments of feed grain from Russia, Belarus or other countries considered unreliable have arrived at the Port of Klaipėda since 2024.
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