In a significant move aimed at circumventing Russia’s influence on grain exports, Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda has proposed to shift Ukrainian grain exports through Baltic ports. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, during Nausėda’s visit to Poland, showed his support to the initiative, which involves transferring the inspection and customs control from the Ukrainian-Polish border to Baltic ports. This alteration is expected to create a more efficient export framework. The proposal arose following Russia’s exit from a July deal permitting grain exports via the Black Sea, leading Lithuania to advocate for the European Union to turn to Baltic ports as an alternative. Since its departure from the deal, Russia has been undermining Ukraine’s port facilities and claiming its potential to provide less expensive agricultural commodities to African nations. Emphasizing the importance of smooth grain shipment across Poland to Baltic ports, Nausėda stated the grain situation is entangled in geopolitical machinations. Lithuania has stressed that the Baltic ports possess the capability to manage an annual 25 million tons of grain.
Source: majandus.postimees.ee
