First Meeting of Ukraine-NATO Council on Strengthening Security in Black Sea Held in Brussels

This new format of political interaction was established at the NATO Summit in Vilnius and provides for Ukraine’s participation on an equal footing with the Alliance member states. It is also a tool for bringing our country closer to NATO membership.

The meeting was convened at the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to hold urgent consultations regarding the security situation in the Black Sea after Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Ukraine and NATO member states discussed the action plan for strengthening security in the Black Sea region. The Ukrainian side noted that after energy terror against our country, Russia resorted to food terror against the world. Ukraine called for a decisive response to the actions of the terrorist state.

Within the framework of the Ukraine-NATO Council, the parties agreed to take measures to counter Russia’s food blackmail and its attempts to avoid responsibility for the aggravation of the food crisis.

The Ukrainian side was represented at the meeting by Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine — the Minister of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov and Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov.

Natalia Tolub