Latvia's Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens plans to propose a ban on imports of Russian and Belarusian grain to be included in the next package of EU sanctions against Russia. The minister's statement was quoted by LSM.


LDz Cargo, a state-owned company in Latvia, is the largest grain carrier from Russia, and cargoes of Russian and Belarusian grain account for more than half of the company's volumes in 2022.


Briškens said that the Baltic states should take a common position on this issue. He has already started negotiations with his colleagues from Lithuania and Estonia on restrictions.


The minister has instructed his department to develop a report that estimates the possible losses from the ban on grain imports from Russia and Belarus. His goal is to present this report to the Latvian government and persuade EU partners to include transit and imports in the 13th package of sanctions against Russia.