Estonia bans transit of Russian and Belarusian grain
Estonia has banned the transit of Russian and Belarusian grain through its territory as the Baltic states work to prevent their ports from becoming alternative export routes for Russia.
“Russia attacks Ukrainian ports, blocks Ukraine's grain exports and then looks for new routes for its own grain. Estonia will not provide one,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Wednesday.
Tsahkna said Estonia was working with Latvia and Lithuania to prevent Baltic ports from being used to transit Russian grain.
The immediate impact of the Estonian ban may be limited. Tsahkna said in September that transit of Russian grain through Estonia was already “practically nonexistent,” while warning Moscow against seeking new routes through the country.
Latvia has separately tightened inspections of grain imports to prevent grain taken from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine from entering the country.