Russia still remains a trading partner of the European Union in the supply of agricultural products.
Despite Russian aggression, European Union countries purchased 1.7 million tons of wheat from Russia in 2023. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Taras Kachka.
“There is no ban on imports from Russia. No grains, no fish, no vegetables – none of these goods at all. Volumes, maybe small, come from Russia to Poland. In 2023, 11 thousand tons of wheat came to Poland, but the very fact of that that this is a legal import,” he said on air at an information telethon.
According to him, among the total import of agricultural products by the European Union of 2.5 billion tons, 1.7 million tons come from goods from the Russian Federation.
“This means that Russia remains a trading partner for the EU in terms of agricultural products, which is nonsense for us. If there are protests against imports, then imports from Russia should be prohibited,” Kachka said.
The Deputy Minister of Economy recalled that the Latvian Seimas decided to ban the import of Russian agricultural products into the country.
“We expect the same measures from the member states of the European Union,” Kaczka added.
Ban on Russian agricultural products: what is known
On February 22, the Seimas of Latvia decided to ban the import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus. The embargo will remain in effect until July 1, 2025.
On February 26, Latvian Agriculture Minister Armands Krause said in Brussels that the European Union should impose sanctions against Russian exports to the EU at the pan-European level.
