Ukraine and the Baltic states strengthen controls on grain origin

Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotskyi, held talks in Brussels with the heads of the agriculture ministries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The main topic of discussion was countering trade in Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories. Oleksandr Haidu, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy, also took part in the talks.

The key issue was developing a coordinated approach among the Baltic states to verifying the origin of grain entering their territory and ports.

Lithuania is already piloting a Grain Verification Scheme through the port of Klaipėda. Latvia has also begun practical checks: since 16 September, four grain samples have been collected and sent for testing to a laboratory in France, with two more samples planned.

"Russia must not be allowed to legitimise, on international markets, grain stolen from the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. It is important to move from simply acknowledging the problem to establishing systematic control over the origin of such products. I am grateful to our Baltic partners for their willingness to work on practical verification mechanisms," said Taras Vysotskyi.

Ukraine is interested in expanding origin-verification practices and coordinating relevant efforts among the Baltic states.

The parties also discussed the potential use of Baltic ports as an alternative logistics route for Ukrainian agricultural products.