Lithuania and Baltic States Ask EU to Ban Transit of Russian Grain

Lithuania plans to submit a proposal to the European Union to ban the transit of Russian food grain using European ports and transport infrastructure, an initiative aimed especially at Baltic routes, including the port of Klaipėda on the Lithuanian Baltic coast. For now, this is a proposal with no announced implementation date.

The initiative is part of a joint request from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which sent a letter to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen requesting restrictions covering Russian grain transiting EU territory en route to international markets. According to Splash 247, the letter was signed by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, while Safety4Sea identifies Michal as Latvian Prime Minister and places the sending of the letter on October 9.

Michal plans to present the proposal at the next European Council meeting. In their letter, the three leaders argued that Russia attacks Ukrainian ports, merchant vessels and transport infrastructure while seeking alternative routes for its own agricultural exports, including through the Baltic. Michal stated that European infrastructure must not help Russia finance its war.

The request comes as Russian grain flows are already shifting toward the Baltic. According to IFCHOR Galbraiths research cited by Splash 247, grain loadings from Russian Baltic and inland ports climbed to 1.16 million tonnes in September, more than five times the 216,000 tonnes recorded in August, with Ust-Luga contributing 545,000 tonnes and Vysotsk a further 374,000 tonnes, while loadings from the Black Sea and Sea of Azov fell from 1.39 million to 201,000 tonnes over the same period. Moscow is also preparing Murmansk to handle its first grain cargoes this month.

Estonia has already approved national sanctions banning the transit of Russian and Belarusian grain through its ports, and Latvia tightened controls on grain origin in September, while also preparing measures against cargoes suspected of originating from occupied Ukrainian territory. The three governments are now seeking common rules from Brussels rather than relying on scattered national restrictions. The call comes alongside other Western measures against Moscow, such as the 38 new British sanctions announced on October 8 targeting Russian oil companies, shadow fleet vessels and military suppliers, and Japanese restrictions imposed on October 2 against 35 vessels linked to that fleet. To date, no EU-wide ban on the transit of Russian grain has been adopted.