Lithuania strengthens control over grain imports from Russia and occupied territories

Lithuania has intensified inspections on the import of grain from Russia, temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and other countries considered to be high-risk. This is reported on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture of Lithuania.

Such measures were taken in response to a statement by the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture, Mykola Solsky, that Russia profits by exporting grain from the occupied Ukrainian regions.

From March 18, each batch of imported grain from these regions will be subjected to sample testing.

The list of high-risk countries now includes Russia, occupied Ukrainian territories, Belarus, the unrecognized Transnistria, and the Georgian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

This is only the initial phase of measures, and Lithuania plans to further check the origin of transit grain.

Kęstutis Navickas, Minister of Agriculture of Lithuania, said that Russia should not have the opportunity to use Lithuanian infrastructure to profit from the sale of Ukrainian grain.

Earlier, Donald Tusk initiated a proposal to the European Union to ban the import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus in response to their actions in Ukraine.

Switzerland has also increased sanctions pressure on Russia, synchronizing its measures with the 13th package of European Union sanctions.