EU Proposes Steep Tariffs on Russian and Belarusian Grain Imports Amid Ukraine War Tensions

The EU has proposed steep tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grain imports to prevent market disruption. The tariffs would make imports economically unviable.

The tariffs aim to deprive Russia of revenue and prevent stolen Ukrainian grain from entering the EU market. They are not formally sanctions.

The measures still need approval from EU member states through a qualified majority vote. They were proposed after calls from Baltic and Ukrainian leaders.

Agriculture has become a fraught issue amid the war. Previous EU attempts to help Ukrainian exports led to backlash from some member states about cheap imports.

Poland, Hungary and Slovakia still have bans on some Ukrainian food imports in place, despite EU attempts to extend Ukraine's free trade access. The latest agreement on this has been cast into doubt.