Latvia offers to export Ukrainian grain through its ports
Didzis Šmits, Latvia's Minister of Agriculture, has said exporting Ukrainian grain through Latvian ports is a possible scenario.
Source: Didzis Šmits during his meeting with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, as reported by Latvian news agency Delfi
Details: Šmits said exports through the Baltic corridor is not an easy task, and delivering grain to Latvia will be a challenge for logisticians, but it isn’t impossible.
Šmits pointed out that the capacities of Baltic ports make it possible to export grain from Ukraine, and the key challenge is the different widths of railway tracks, but the cargo might be quickly transferred from one train to another.
"Certainly, we need to do the maths. It's clear that it will be complex and expensive, but if there are no other solutions, the corridor through the Baltic states is a solution," the minister explained.
Background: On 17 July, Russia announced its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and threatened "risks" to parties deciding to continue the initiative without Russia's participation. Furthermore, Moscow launched extensive attacks on the port infrastructure of Odesa and the Danube ports.
The White House has previously said grain from Ukraine is now likely to be exported by land, adding that "we have done this before, including during the grain deal."
Meanwhile, media reports suggest that the European Commission does not have the funding to cover additional transport costs for the transit of agricultural products from Ukraine.
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