“Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius’ position is clear: Lithuania’s infrastructure cannot and will not be used for the export of Russian grain. The prime minister is working closely with the Ministry of Transport. The relevant services are gathering information, and a decision will be made in the near future on whether further measures are needed,” prime minister’s spokesman Gedas Salyga told the news agency ELTA on Friday.
ELTA has learned from Algis Latakas, the head of the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority, that the Port of Klaipėda has handled 47,000 tonnes of Russian origin grain in the first 8 months of 2026. This mostly accounts for maize, transported by rail from the Kaliningrad Region to Klaipėda.
According to him, these are unsanctioned cargoes, which the port has no right to stop. However, he says the amount of such products is decreasing each year as additional sanctions are imposed.
Meanwhile, Minister of Transport and Communications Juras Taminskas told ELTA that the situation is unacceptable. He instructed the state-owned Lithuanian Railways Group (LTG) to clarify all the circumstances behind the freight of Russian grain.
According to the Grain Processors and Traders’ Association, due to attacks on ships in the Black Sea, Russia has found a way to shift exports from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea.
Head of the association, Karolis Šimas, says the attitude of Lithuanian and Latvian institutions to Russian grain export is superficial. He says Latvian ports are the biggest “Achilles’ heel” in the Baltics as they can in theory export 7–8 million tonnes of grain, but the actual figure is closer to 5 million tonnes.