Czech Republic proposes to ban imports of Russian and Belarusian grain to Europe

During the European Council meeting, the Czech Republic will propose to ban imports of Russian and Belarusian grain to the EU. Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny said this on Czech television, Novinky reports on Sunday, March 17.

“We will insist that grains and oilseeds (crops – ed.) be on the sanctions list and not be exported to Europe,” the minister said.

He also noted that food prices would not rise dramatically after a possible ban on Russian grain imports.

“The Czech Republic has surpluses for export, and there were surpluses all over the world,” Vyborny said.

In addition, the minister emphasized that “there is no reason to support the aggressor by buying Russian grain in Europe.”

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala will present the country’s position at a meeting of the European Council next week.

Last year, according to Eurostat, Novinky writes, the European Union imported 1.5 million tons of grain from Russia, which is more than before Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have previously addressed the European Commission with this call.

Tags: Russia, grain, EU, Belarus, Czech Republic, restrictions