Lithuania has called on the European Union to use Baltic ports to export Ukrainian grain after the failure of the Black Sea Food Initiative, AFP reported on July 24th.

In a letter to the European Commission obtained by AFP, three Lithuanian ministers said that Baltic ports could "become a reliable alternative for transshipment of Ukrainian products, including grain."

Lithuanian officials believe this would help transport 25 million tons of grain annually.

Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17, effectively ending the agreement that allowed Ukraine to export agricultural products during the ongoing full-scale invasion.

Ukraine is one of the world's leading grain producers and exporters. The agreement, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022, played a crucial role in stabilizing global food prices.

The EU has pledged to support Ukraine's efforts to export agricultural products through the so-called "solidarity corridor", which was set up in May 2022 to assist Kiev in transporting agricultural products.

So far, the Solidarity Corridor has facilitated the export of more than 45 million tons of grains, oilseeds and other products, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Croatia is also offering its rail network and Adriatic ports as alternative routes for Ukrainian grains, while Bulgaria and Greece are reportedly discussing plans to transfer Ukrainian agricultural products to Greek ports via Bulgarian trains.

Lithuania went further in its call for the EU to cut red tape on Ukraine's border with Poland.

Warsaw joined the governments of Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria in calling on the EU to extend the ban on sales of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds in those countries until the end of the year.

The measure, initially enacted by the EU in May, was later extended on June 5 and is expected to expire on September 15th.

However, the five Central European member states do not object to the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through their territories.

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