Zelensky Desires NATO-Ukraine Council Meeting To Discuss Black Sea Grain Issue

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Saturday that he had requested that NATO Secretary-General convene a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council to discuss security in the Black Sea, particularly the operation of a corridor for Ukrainian grain exports.

Russia withdrew from the United Nations-backed grain corridor agreement this week, claiming that Western countries had neglected its requests to secure Moscow’s food and fertilizer exports. Ships bound for Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, according to Russia, could be deemed military targets.

Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that he had urged NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a phone call to convene the council, which was established at this month’s NATO summit.

“In our cooperation, we have moved to a new, more advanced level, the NATO-Ukraine Council and this mechanism can have an impact”, Zelenskiy explained.

He went on to say, “I proposed to Jens that the council be convened without delay for relevant crisis consultations. The meeting will take place in the coming days. We can overcome the security crisis in the Black Sea”.

There was no apparent sign of NATO’s acceptance of such a plan.

On Friday, the United Nations aid chief told the U.N. Security Council that a rise in grain prices since Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement potentially threatens hunger and worse for millions of people.

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