Estonia plans to ban transit of Russian grain through its ports, although such deliveries have hardly been made for a long time. Tallinn is discussing various options for introducing the measure through national legislation.
This was stated by Estonian Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras to journalists in Luxembourg before the meeting of the EU Agriculture Council. “Russian grain hardly passes through Estonian ports and this has been the case for a long time. This does not mean that it is prohibited, but we are considering a complete closure of this possibility – "Russian grain cannot be shipped through Estonian ports even hypothetically," he said.
According to Terras, various options for action are still being considered, and a specific deadline for adopting the ban has not been specified. Asked whether such a step would be legal, the minister replied: "If we make it legal, the step will be legal." He described the measure as a "matter of principle."
Support for Ukrainian exports
The Estonian minister stressed that the European Union must support the transit of Ukrainian grain through European territory to countries outside the bloc. "We need to help Ukraine deliver its grain to third countries via Europe," Terras said.
According to him, this is important both for the Ukrainian economy and for global food security. The EU Agriculture Council meeting is being held in Luxembourg on October 26-27, with trade issues in agriculture among the topics.
In a separate process, Ukraine, the UK and Latvia signed a memorandum on a Grain Verification Scheme. The document provides for joint verification of the origin of agricultural products using scientific methods, which aims to limit the possibilities of presenting stolen Ukrainian grain as Russian or legalizing a controversial origin.
Hendrik Johannes Terras has been the Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture of Estonia since March 25, 2025.
Sources: ukrinform.ua