Czechia among EU states calling for restrictions on grain imports from Russia

Czechia, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are calling on the European Commission to impose restrictions on grain imports from Russia and Belarus to the European Union, in a letter signed by the agriculture ministers of all five countries.

Russia is using profits from grain exports to finance the ongoing war in Ukraine, the countries say in the letter addressed to European Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Janusz Wojciechowski. According to the letter, the EU imported 1.53 million tonnes of Russian grain worth EUR 437.5 million in 2023.

According to Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný, who signed the letter on behalf of the Czech Republic, there is no reason why Czechia should support an aggressor who is committing war crimes in Ukraine, attacking civilians and is a threat to the entire civilised world.