On Monday, the Lithuanian government appealed to the European Union to take more into account the possibilities of the Baltic states to support the export of Ukrainian grain after Russia’s recent withdrawal from the agreement that allowed its transportation through the Black Sea, AFP reports.

In a letter addressed to the European Commissioners, seen by AFP, the three Lithuanian ministers believe that the infrastructures of these countries can “serve as a viable and reliable alternative route for the transit of Ukrainian products, including grain.”

According to the ministers, the Baltic infrastructures have a total annual capacity of 25 million tons of grain alone.

The international agreement on the transportation of grain through the Black Sea allowed, in turn, to export almost 33 million tons of grain and other food products over a year, the UN reports.

To exploit the potential of the alternative route they are proposing, Lithuanian ministers have asked the EU to reduce administrative procedures at the Polish-Ukrainian border and henceforth introduce them at Baltic ports.

Last week, five countries neighboring Ukraine: Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania asked the European Union to allow them to extend beyond September 15 the restrictions they imposed on imports of Ukrainian grain to protect their farmers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi told the European Union on Monday that he does not agree in any way with the expansion of restrictions on the export of grain from his country to EU countries neighboring Ukraine, Reuters notes.

“Our position is clear: blocking the removal of land after September 15, when the relevant restrictions expire, is inadmissible in any form,” Zelensky said in Telegram.