BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — The European Commission has proposed higher tariffs on grain products from Russia and Belarus that it said will suppress imports but not affect exports to third countries.

The increased duties will apply to imports of cereals, oilseeds and derived products from Russia and Belarus. Depending on the product, the tariffs will increase to either €95 ($103) per tonne, or to an ad valorem duty of 50%. In addition, Russia and Belarus will no longer have access to any of the EU’s WTO quotas on grain that offer better tariff treatment for some products.

“We propose the imposition of tariffs on these Russian imports to mitigate the growing risk to our markets and our farmers,” said Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president. “They will reduce Russia’s capacity to exploit the EU for the benefit of its war machine. And we maintain our commitment to preserving global food security, especially for developing countries. We are striking the right balance between supporting our economy and farming communities. At the same time, we maintain our unyielding support for Ukraine.”

The commission said it seeks to prevent market destabilization through any future redirection of Russian grain products onto the EU market and tackle Russian exports of illegally appropriated grain produced in Ukraine.

It also wants to prevent Russia from using revenues from EU exports to fund its war against Ukraine.

The increased tariffs also would apply to Belarus in light of the country’s close political and economic ties to Russia. Including Belarus also prevents Russia from using it to circumvent the new tariffs, the commission said.

The transit of cereals, oilseeds and derived products from Russia and Belarus to third countries is unaffected by the proposal. This shows that the European Union remains fully committed to promoting food security globally, especially when it comes to developing countries, the commission said.

Russia exported 4.2 million tonnes of cereals, oilseeds, and derived products to the EU in 2023, worth €1.3 billion.

Belarus exports limited quantities of cereals, oilseeds, and derived products to the EU in 2023 — 610,000 tonnes, with a value of €246 million.