The key facts

  • Latvia cannot fully ban Russian grain transit — the EU has exclusive powers over tariffs and transit
  • Latvia has contractual obligations to transport 300,000 tonnes of Russian grain, which belongs to US, Swiss and Japanese corporations
  • A transit ban could lead to lawsuits against Latvia of 200–800 million euros
Latvia's PM says banning Russian grain transit is impossible

At present, Latvia cannot fully ban the transit of Russian grain, said Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs. In addition, the authorities in Riga have no way to raise the fee for using railway infrastructure for such transit by 300%, he noted.

"The main problem is that the EU has exclusive powers on matters concerning both tariffs and transit. We can take certain steps, but this comes with specific risks," the Latvian public media company LSM quoted the head of the Latvian government as saying.

Moreover, Latvia, unlike Estonia, has contractual obligations to transport 300,000 tonnes of Russian grain. At the same time, grain from Russia, which continues its war against Ukraine, is currently not subject to any sanctions. In addition, the grain actually being exported does not belong to Russia, but to Latvia's strategic partners: the USA, Switzerland and Japan. "It is they who buy this grain — the world's largest corporations," the politician explained. Kulbergs said he would discuss the issue of Russian grain transit in Brussels in the coming days.

Earlier, Kulbergs, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda sent a joint letter to European Council President António Costa and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, calling for a ban on the transit of Russian grain through EU territory.

According to LSM, on October 13 the Latvian government was informed that a ban on grain transit from Russia would create an immediate risk of lawsuits against Latvia amounting to 200–800 million euros.

@dwglavnoe