Brussels/Kiev, 23 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) - At Ukraine's request, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is convening a meeting of the new NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday.

The aim is to "consult on the latest developments and to discuss the transport of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea," said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. The meeting is to be held at ambassadorial level, she said.

Shortly before the announcement, Stoltenberg had spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal, which had allowed Ukraine to sell some 33 million tons of grain and food abroad since last summer despite the ongoing conflict.

"We strongly condemn Moscow's attempt to weaponise food," Stoltenberg tweeted after the call.

"Allies stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes & following NATOSummit, Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before," he added, referring to the NATO summit held in Lithuania earlier in July.

At the NATO meeting, the 31 members of the defence alliance decided to further intensify cooperation with Ukraine and established the NATO-Ukraine Council, a joint consultative forum to promote the discussion of security issues with Kiev.

Zelensky said he and Stoltenberg had discussed the implementation of agreements reached at the summit and further steps to integrate Ukraine into the Western defence alliance.

"We also identified with Mr. Stoltenberg the priority and future steps necessary for unblocking and sustainable operation of the Black Sea grain corridor," Zelensky tweeted.

Russia halted the grain deal earlier this week because, according to Moscow, its demands for facilitating the agricultural exports had not been met.

Not only did Russia reinstate its naval blockade of Ukrainian ports, but it has been bombarding the city of Odessa, one of the ports through which Kiev shipped grain under the deal, and other Ukrainian regions for days now. It has also threatened to attack any ship in the Black Sea region.

Russia has said it wants the West to remove sanctions, specifically a ban on its banks using the international payments method Swift, before it would extend the agreement.

The European Union, which supports the Ukrainian grain export deal, has said Russian grain and fertilizer are exempt from the sanctions and many banks are still connected to Swift.

The UN condemned Russia for not extending the agreement, saying it will result in more deaths from starvation for people in the poorest regions who are already suffering severely.

For many of the 362 million people in 69 countries who rely on food aid, the Kremlin's decision not to extend the deal is "not a matter of sadness or disappointment. It's a matter of threat to their future and the future their children and their families," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council in New York on Friday.

"They're not sad, they're angry. They're worried they're concerned. some will go hungry, some will starve. Many may die as a result of these decisions," he said.

China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, called for an early resumption of grain and fertilizer exports from Russia and Ukraine at the UN Security Council.

Beijing hopes those concerned will work with UN bodies to find a balanced solution to the legitimate concerns of all parties, Geng said at the meeting in New York, according to a report on Chinese state television. He said this was necessary to ensure international food security.

Photo: MIA archive