The Ukraine-NATO Council held a meeting on the security situation in the Black Sea region.

The North Atlantic Alliance said that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg convened the meeting following a request from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

At the meeting, 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.

They also condemned Russia’s recent missile attacks on Odesa, Mykolaiv, and other port cities, including an attack on the Ukrainian grain storage facility in the Danube port city of Reni.

Allies noted that Russia’s new warning area in the Black Sea, within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, has created new risks for miscalculation and escalation, as well as serious impediments to freedom of navigation.

Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană emphasized 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. NATO is united. We stand in solidarity with our Black Sea Allies, we will continue to protect one another, and we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the official emphasized.

Strengthening NATO in the Black Sea region

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Russia bears full responsibility for its dangerous and escalatory actions in the Black Sea region.

Allies welcomed the continued efforts of Türkiye 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.

“Allies have also made it clear that they will continue to provide Ukraine with significant military, economic and humanitarian assistance,” the statement reads.

The statement emphasizes that NATO and Allies are stepping up surveillance and reconnaissance in the Black Sea region, including with maritime patrol aircraft and drones. Since last year, in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO has significantly increased its presence in the region, including with two new multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria and Romania.

The members of the newly created Ukraine-NATO Council will be equal and will solve tasks on the path of Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance.