The closure of the Lithuanian-Polish border by Polish farmers to inspect vehicles for the re-export of Ukrainian grain is similar to the Kremlin's attempts to quarrel between the two largest supporters of Ukraine, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said, LRT reports.

According to the Prime Minister, the arguments that Ukrainian grain intended for transit through Klaipeda to third countries in Lithuania is changing its purpose - it is imported and then sent to Poland, either ground into flour or used in another way, resemble a hybrid operation.

"The attempt to claim that Lithuania is being used in some kind of bread carousel is very similar to the Kremlin's attempts to quarrel between the two largest supporters of Ukraine," Šimonytė said.

She recalled that similar attempts had been made before. For example, it was stated that Ukrainian war refugees receive more support than the indigenous inhabitants of the countries.

"I would like to draw attention to the fact that the protests of farmers in the EU countries are one of the most discussed topics in the broadcasts of Russian propagandists," the Prime Minister added.

Šimonytė said that according to customs data, a little more than 100,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain were imported to Lithuania last year, and this is a very small amount compared to Lithuanian production.

The Prime Minister also said that negotiations are underway not only with Polish departments, but also with the institutions of the European Union, as well as with the protesters themselves, regarding the intentions of Polish farmer groups to prevent movement across the Lithuanian-Polish border.

Since March 1, Polish farmers have been preparing for two new blockades: at the former Polish-German border checkpoint in the town of Świecie and on the road near the former Lithuanian-Polish border checkpoint Budzisko-Kalvarija. Farmers will check the contents of the trucks, especially agricultural goods. The blockade is expected to last for a week.

Via Baltica is a 970-kilometer section of the European route E67 between Tallinn and Warsaw. It provides road connections between the Baltic countries. The E67 connects Helsinki (Finland) and Prague (Czech Republic).

The Suwalki Gap is a strip of land about 100 km long on the Lithuanian-Polish border, which is wedged between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in the west and Belarus in the east.

Earlier, head of the Lithuanian Grain Producers Association, Ausrys Macijauskas, said that Lithuanian farmers, for their part, would not contribute to the Polish protest. According to him, the biggest problem for Lithuanian farmers is Russian grain.