Latvia has no ability either to ban the transit of Russian grain or to raise by 300 percent the cost of using its railway infrastructure. This was stated to journalists following a government meeting by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs.
As the politician explained, Riga has established that the European Union holds exclusive powers on matters of tariffs and transit. Kulbergs added that he intends to discuss this topic in Brussels this week.
According to him, action in this direction is possible under certain conditions, but it carries specific risks. In particular, a ban on transit threatens lawsuits worth between 200 and 800 million euros.
Furthermore, the politician noted, by the time grain from Russia reaches the territory of the republic, it effectively already belongs to Latvia's strategic partners - the United States, Switzerland and Japan. "It is they who buy this grain, acting as the world's largest corporations," the head of government concluded.
According to data from Latvia's State Revenue Service, from the beginning of the year through September, 593,660 tonnes of grain from Russia passed through Latvia in transit. At the same time, Riga has contracts for another 300,000 tonnes.
Earlier, Estonia decided to introduce national sanctions banning the transit of Russian and Belarusian grain, but at the time the restrictions were introduced Tallinn had no such transport agreements.
As RIA Novosti reported last Friday, Kulbergs, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda sent a collective letter to European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanding the introduction of additional restrictions on supplies of Russian grain.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it will cope with the sanctions pressure that several countries began exerting on it several years ago and continue to intensify. The authorities have noted that unfriendly states lack the courage to admit the failure of such a policy.