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Given that Lithuania currently holds the European Union presidency, Brussels hopes to conclude Eastern Partnership Agreements during the Vilnius Summit, which is hoped to facilitate Europe's trade with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. However, Brussels' plans go against Russian President Vladimir Putin's hopes of restoring Russia's influence in the former Soviet Union countries and to establish the Eurasian Union.

If Lithuania's milk exports to Russia are halted, it will have immediate impact on Latvia. Latvian farmers sell 700 tons of milk to Lithuanian dairies, which makes up 20% of Latvian milk market. If the demand for milk falls, so will milk prices, which will affect farmers' incomes.

The other problem for Lithuania – and therefore for Latvia – is the intensified truck inspections at the Lithuanian-Russian border. Many Latvian truckers carrying freight from Lithuania to Russia have been affected. Also, Russian customs officers have begun to send back trucks to Latvia for comparatively unimportant shortcomings.

Latvijas auto President Valdis Trezins says that the Russian side has intensified inspection of freight weight, and many trucks were stopped at the border.

Latvian ministers doubt that Russia could begin closer inspections of Latvian products. Economy Minister Daniels Pavluts says he does not have such information, but even the possibility of this has prompted him to discuss the potential problem with the transport minister.

Finance Minister Andris Vilks says that Latvia-Russia relations are much better than Lithuania's relations with Russia, therefore he believes that Russia is unlikely to block the border. Transport Minister Anrijs Matiss, however, reminds that Latvian truckers were experiencing similar problems couple years ago, when Russian customs officers were asking Latvian truckers to present additional guarantees.

In the meantime, Latvian Customs sent Russian Customs Service a warning last week, saying that any freights that are sent back to Latvia for no good reason will not be accepted.

Russia on Monday halted all dairy imports from EU president Lithuania in a trade row over Lithuania's attempts to draw ex-Soviet nations such as Ukraine closer to the 28-nation bloc, AFP news agency reports.

The Russian agency responsible for overseeing consumer protection rights said it had decided to impose a full import ban due to neighboring Lithuania's "weak control" over the quality and safety of its dairy products.

"The Russian Federal Consumer Rights Protection and Human Health Control Service is halting the import into Russia of milk and dairy products produced in Lithuania," the agency said in a statement.

Lithuania has lobbied the European Union to respond to arduous customs checks that Moscow has imposed on Eastern European countries now seeking closer relations with Brussels.