Latvian President supports unilateral ban on Russian grain import

Latvian President Edgards Rinkēvičs. Stock photo: Getty Images

Latvian President Edgards Rinkēvičs has advocated the introduction of a unilateral ban on Russian grain import.

Source: Rinkēvičs during a press conference, as reported by European Pravda with reference to Delfi

Quote: “I support the ban on Russian grain imports. Both for political and economic reasons.” 

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Details: He noted that grain import supports the “Russian military machine” and affects Latvian agriculture. 

Moreover, Rinkēvičs noted that the grain labelled as Russian may be stolen from the occupied Ukrainian territories. Additionally, grain is used as a weapon in hybrid warfare.

Background: 

• Earlier, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa stated that it made no sense for the country to unilaterally introduce measures against grain import from Russia since restrictions adopted unilaterally would not achieve their goal.
• Prior to this, it was reported that the Latvian Saeima (Parliament) would consider a proposal to ban grain imports from Russia and Belarus into the country.
• Latvian President Edgards Rinkēvičs pointed out that the issue has been discussed at the EU level several times. He believes it is better to make decisions at the European level because if it is a decision only made by Latvia or the Baltic states, Russia will still find ways to sell its grain on the European market.
• Additionally, Latvian Agriculture Minister Armand Krause initiated discussions within the EU on banning the import of Russian agricultural products into the EU.

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