Lithuania President Nauseda objects to Ukrainian grain passing via Belarus to Baltic ports

As the brutal war in Eastern Europe continues to intensify, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated that grain from Ukraine cannot be transported to the Baltic ports through Belarus. He further asserted that there is a need to look for other alternatives as Belarus has been supporting Russia's unjustified attack on Ukraine.

"In my opinion, the situation has only worsened recently, and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has shown that he is in the same boat as Vladimir Putin in this vile aggression. My opinion and assessment do not change - we must look for other alternatives to transport Ukrainian grain," Nauseda told the Delfi news portal. 

Nauseda went on to say that he did not see the prospect of resuming Belarusian fertilizers transit through Lithuania, a condition that Lukashenko has set for the delivery of Ukrainian grain through Belarus. He emphasised that the European Union has imposed very specific sanctions on fertilizers which Lithuania has reinforced. "Should we close our eyes and say that Lukashenko suddenly became a much more acceptable leader or did something good, so we must lift these sanctions?" President Nauseda asked. 

Ukraine not to export harvest by rail to ports on Baltic Sea via Belarus

Notably, grain and other Ukrainian products are currently being brought to Lithuania's Klaipeda city via Poland. Earlier on June 3, the transit of Ukrainian grain to Baltic ports was discussed by Lukashenko and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, but Minsk insisted on Belarusian exports. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he is not mulling exporting the harvest by rail to ports on the Baltic Sea through Belarus. He has also accused Russia of blocking around 22 million tonnes of grain including barley, sunflowers, etc., at Ukrainian ports.

Ukraine has been exporting grains to world via alternative routes

It is pertinent to mention here that key seaports in Ukraine have been closed since the beginning of the conflict in late February. Since then, Ukraine has been exporting grains to the rest of the world via alternative routes. Meanwhile, the Russian government has stated that it would consider opening access to Ukraine's Black Sea ports only "if sanctions against Moscow are reviewed." Earlier, UN food chief David Beasley also urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to open Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. According to reports, the World Food Programme provides food to around 125 million people across the world and purchases half of its grain from Ukraine.

Image: AP