IRIA News

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg convened the second NATO-Ukraine Council meeting on July 26, 2023. The meeting was called to address the serious security situation in the Black Sea. NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana chaired the council meeting.

The second meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council was requested by Kyiv following the rising tension in the Black Sea region. It focused on discussing Russia’s pullout from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and attacks on Ukrainian ports in Odesa and Mykolaiv.

The meeting was attended by NATO officials and ambassadors of the member countries. A representative from Sweden was also present during the meeting. Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov joined the meeting virtually.

According to a statement released by NATO, “Allies and Ukraine strongly condemned Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal and its deliberate attempts to stop Ukraine’s agricultural exports on which hundreds of millions of people worldwide depend.”

The statement added that NATO condemns “Russia’s recent missile attacks on Odesa, Mykolaiv, and other port cities, including Moscow’s cynical drone attack on the Ukrainian grain storage facility in the Danube port city of Reni, very close to the Romanian border.”

NATO increasing surveillance in the Black Sea region

NATO officials announced that the alliance is stepping up surveillance and reconnaissance in the Black Sea region, including with maritime patrol aircraft and drones. Following the rising tensions, NATO has significantly increased its presence in the region, including two new multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria and Romania.

While commenting on Moscow’s termination of the Black Sea grain deal, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “Russia bears full responsibility for its dangerous and escalatory actions in the Black Sea region. Russia must stop weaponizing hunger and threatening the world’s most vulnerable people with food instability.”

Stoltenberg added that “Russia’s actions also pose substantial risks to the stability of the Black Sea region, which is of strategic importance to NATO. Allies are stepping up support to Ukraine and increasing our vigilance. We remain ready to defend every inch of Allied territory from any aggression.”

Russia unilaterally pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative after it expired on July 17, 2023. The one-year agreement was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022 and facilitated exports of Ukrainian grains via Black Sea routes amid war.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said that “Russia continues to show utter disrespect for international law and for the people worldwide who depend on Ukrainian grain. Russia is threatening civilian ships, terrorizing peaceful cities, and destroying parts of the world’s cultural heritage with its brutal strikes.”

Zelenskyy thanked NATO leaders

Ukrainian President thanked the NATO leaders for condemning Russia’s violation of agreements regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He also emphasized that the Ukraine-NATO Council has already become an effective mechanism for crisis consultations.

“Grateful to Jens Stoltenberg and Mircea Geoana for holding this crucial meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council. We welcome сlear and unequivocal condemnation of the Alliance of Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal. Established only 2 weeks ago in Vilnius, the Council has already proved to be an effective mechanism for crisis consultations,” Zelenskyy tweeted following the meeting.

Allies welcome Turkey’s efforts to revitalize grain deal

Since Russia’s pullout, Turkey, and other European nations, as well as international organizations, have been pushing Moscow to reestablish the deal.

The NATO statement said that Allies welcomed the continued efforts of Turkey to revitalize the grain deal, and the efforts of other Allies, including Bulgaria and Romania, as well as the European Union and the United Nations to enable the continued export of Ukrainian grain by land and sea.

NATO-Ukraine Council

The NATO-Ukraine Council was set up earlier this month during the NATO annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The council focuses on building cooperation and coordination between the Western military alliance and the Ukrainian administration to advance political dialogue, engagement, cooperation, and Ukraine’s aspirations for membership in NATO.