NATO Secretary General and Ukrainian President Discuss Black Sea Grain Corridor

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the “unblocking” of the Black Sea grain corridor after Moscow’s exit of the crucial deal to ensure the safe passage of ships and Ukraine’s relationship to NATO, during a phone call on Saturday

Strong Condemnation of Moscow’s Actions

After the call, Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter: “We strongly condemn Moscow’s attempt to weaponize food. Allies stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes & following NATO Summit, Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before.”

Steps to Restore Transport of Grain

Zelensky also said on Twitter that they discussed steps to make the transport of grain across the Black Sea possible again and to guarantee it in the long term, but did not go into any further detail.

Termination of International Grain Agreement

Russia ended the international grain agreement on Monday, which had allowed Ukraine to sell some 33 million tons of grain and food abroad since last summer, despite the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Significance of the Agreement

The deal was not only crucial for Ukraine’s economy but for global food supply chains. Since terminating it, Moscow has been attacking grain storage facilities in the port city of Odessa, one of the ports through which Ukraine shipped grain under the international agreement.