NATO-Ukraine Council meeting convened at Kyiv's request

According to Deutsche Welle, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is convening a new meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on July 26 at the request of the Ukrainian side. The main topic of the meeting will be to discuss the latest developments and the transportation of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

Finding ways to resolve the security situation in the Black Sea, in particular Russia's aggressive actions, has become one of the main goals of this meeting of the Council. This meeting is scheduled for the ambassadorial level and is intended to address the most pressing issues in connection with the crisis.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally asked Jens Stoltenberg to convene this meeting and emphasized that the mechanism of the NATO-Ukraine Council can work effectively in such situations. Zelenskyy and Stoltenberg have already had a telephone conversation to discuss the security threat in the Black Sea region.

It was noted that on July 17, the grain agreement that guaranteed the safe passage of ships from Ukrainian Black Sea ports expired. Immediately after the expiration, Russia announced that it would stop participating in this initiative. However, Ukraine is not giving up and continues to look for ways to continue the grain initiative.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed the readiness of ship-owning companies to continue using the Black Sea corridor for grain shipments if Ukraine and Turkey agree to this. In his letters to Turkey and the United Nations, Zelenskyy proposed to continue the work of the grain initiative in a trilateral format, involving Qatar to ensure the functioning of the corridor and inspect ships.

Against this background, Russia's plan to supply grain to Africa using the African corridor and exclude Ukraine from world markets is unfolding. According to this idea, Qatar should pay Russia for the delivery of grain to Turkey, and Turkey, in turn, will distribute the food to the recipient countries.

The meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council is scheduled for July 26 and is of strategic importance for Ukraine and the region as a whole. Discussions between the parties will be aimed at ensuring security and stability in the Black Sea and preserving grain supply routes for Ukraine.