“Russia is attacking Ukrainian ports and preventing Ukrainian grain from reaching world markets. It would be cynical to allow Russia to export its own grain through our ports at the same time. Estonia will not allow this,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
According to Tsahkna, Estonia’s position has been clear. “We said back in September that there was no point in making plans to transport Russian grain through Estonia. Now we are putting an end to this with a national sanction. We will not help Russia mitigate the consequences of the war it started itself.”
The transit of Russian grain through Estonia has been virtually non-existent so far. Russia is, however, looking for new export routes, and there is interest in using Estonian ports. The ban will ensure that Estonia does not become a new transit route for Russian grain.
“We are working together with Latvia and Lithuania to ensure that Russian grain is not transited through the ports of the Baltic States. The Baltic States cannot allow our ports to be used to support Russia’s war economy,” Tsahkna stressed.
In 2024, the European Union imposed tariffs on grain products from Russia and Belarus with the aim of halting their import into the EU. However, the tariffs do not completely prevent the transit of grain through the European Union to third countries.
The ban will be introduced by amending Regulation No. 93 of 29 September 2022, “Imposition of a Sanction of the Government of the Republic of Estonia Prohibiting the Purchase of Goods in Connection with the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine Supported by the Republic of Belarus”. The sanction prohibits the transit through Estonia of grain originating from Russia and Belarus and falling under CN Chapter 10.
The regulation will enter into force on the day following its publication in the Riigi Teataja.
