Ukraine-NATO Council to discuss situation in Black Sea, operation of ‘grain corridor’

In the coming days, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council will take place to discuss the overcoming of the crisis situation in the Black Sea and the sustainable operation of the ‘grain corridor’.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his video address, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“I spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The topic is obvious – it is the implementation of the agreements that we had reached at the Alliance’s summit in Vilnius. The priority remains unchanged: joining NATO as soon as possible, when security conditions allow. Only this will reliably guarantee security and peace for the whole of Europe,” Zelensky told.

Additionally, the parties discussed the current security situation, namely Russia’s aggressive actions in the Black Sea.

“Any destabilization in this region and the disruption of our export routes will mean problems having corresponding consequences for everyone in the world. The price crisis is the least of the possible consequences,” the President of Ukraine stressed.

Zelensky and Stoltenberg also considered joint steps to unblock and ensure the sustainable operation of the Black Sea grain corridor.

“In our cooperation, we have moved to a new, higher level – the level of the Ukraine-NATO Council. And this mechanism can work. I offered Jens to urgently convene the Council for appropriate crisis consultations. The meeting will take place in the coming days. We can overcome the security crisis in the Black Sea,” Zelensky emphasized.

A reminder that, on July 22, 2022, Ukraine, Türkiye, the United Nations and Russia signed the Black Sea Grain Initiative in Istanbul, which unblocked three Ukrainian ports (Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi) for the export of grain and mineral fertilizers. Under the aegis of the UN, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) was established in Istanbul to supervise and coordinate the operation of the ‘grain corridor’.

On July 17, 2023, Russia announced its withdrawal from the Grain Deal.