Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, commenting on Latvia’s considered decision, stated that “there are always alternatives.”
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“Global markets are much richer than one Latvia, there are always alternatives,” he said.
“In this case, it is a decision of one country,” noted D. Peskov.
On Monday, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs announced that the government plans to introduce 300% tariffs on grain imported from Russia and Belarus.
It is also indicated that the country plans to create mechanisms to identify possibly stolen Ukrainian grain and apply sanctions to its export.
Among other things, there is talk of the possibility to inspect goods transported in transit and cooperate with Ukrainian representatives and laboratories to determine the origin of the grain.
Member of the National Alliance faction Artūrs Butāns reported that his party has prepared amendments to the Agriculture and Rural Development Law aimed at completely banning the transit of Russian grain through Latvian ports and infrastructure. He emphasized that the purpose of increasing tariffs should not be additional revenue, but the economic unfeasibility of transit.
Last week, Latvian and Lithuanian officials stated that they are considering stopping the transportation of Russian grain through their ports, as Moscow, responding to Ukrainian attacks on its ports in the Baltic Sea, increased transit volumes.
It is believed that a ban on continuing such activity or high tariffs could prevent an important alternative at a time when the Black and Azov Sea routes are paralyzed due to Ukrainian drone strikes.
As the news agency Reuters writes, during the last export season – from July 2025 to June 2026 – Russia exported 46.3 million cubic tons of grain through the Azov and Black Sea ports, which accounts for 90% of all Russian grain exports by sea. Only 1 million tons were shipped through Russia’s Baltic Sea ports.
However, according to sources cited by the agency, from the start of the new season until mid-August 2026, demand for grain transportation to Russia’s Baltic Sea ports has already reached 5 million tons.
Moreover, Russian exporters are increasingly looking towards the Baltic states, primarily Latvian ports, and it is expected that shipment volumes will increase sharply in September.
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