Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania want the European Union to close its territory to Russian grain in transit. The Government of Estonia announced on 9 October 2026 that Prime Minister Kristen Michal, the Latvian prime minister Andris Kulbergs and the Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda had written jointly to António Costa, who chairs the European Council, and to Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission.
The letter argues that Russia strikes Ukrainian cargo ships, railways and other trade routes in order to weaken Ukraine's economy, and at the same time looks for new ways to sell its own grain, the Baltic Sea among them. The three leaders write that the Union should not let Russia make good the economic cost of its aggression, and that grain taken from occupied parts of Ukraine must not leave through the EU either. Our infrastructure must not help Russia finance its war,
Michal is quoted as saying.
The leaders also ask for the Solidarity Lanes to be strengthened. These are the transport links between the Union and Ukraine that carry Ukrainian goods to world markets.
According to the government's statement, Michal intends to bring the question up when the European Council meets next week. The statement does not say when a decision could follow; for now it is a request by three member states, with the letter itself published next to the announcement.
Source: Government of Estonia, . The text above is our own summary; the words in quotation marks are the source's.
What this means for an Estonian entrepreneur
For a company that trades in grain or moves cargo through Baltic ports and railways, this is an early signal and not yet a rule: three governments have asked for a ban and the question goes to the European Council. A forwarder or trader with goods in transit should know the origin of every consignment it handles.
An Estonian company that brings goods across the customs border of the European Union needs an EORI number; we prepare and submit the application. EORI number for an Estonian company