Latvia and Lithuania are considering stopping the transit of Russian grain through their ports amid the war in Ukraine

Latvia and Lithuania are considering stopping shipments of Russian grain through their ports after Russia redirected its exports to the Baltic Sea amid Ukrainian attacks on its ports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The government in Riga will meet on Tuesday to discuss a total ban on Russian grain exports, a spokesperson for the Latvian prime minister announced. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs has also called for the creation of a mechanism to prevent the transit of grain originating illegally from occupied Ukrainian territories.

Lithuania has not announced a concrete measure, but Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said that using Lithuanian infrastructure for Russian exports was unacceptable. Grain transit between mainland Russia and the exclave of Kaliningrad through Lithuania would not be affected.

The Baltic states’ decision would limit an alternative route for Russian exporters. In the July 2025–June 2026 season, Russia shipped 46.3 million tonnes of grain through Black Sea and Sea of Azov ports, accounting for 90% of its maritime exports. Baltic ports handled approximately two million tonnes.

Lithuanian authorities collected samples from grain declared to be Russian at the port of Klaipėda and sent them to a laboratory in France to verify whether the cargo actually originated in Ukraine.»,