After phone call with Zelensky, NATO chief strongly criticizes Moscow for weaponizing food

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about Russia's termination of the Black Sea grain deal and Ukraine's relationship to NATO during a phone call on Saturday.

After the call, Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter: "We strongly condemn Moscow's attempt to weaponize food. Allies stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes & following NATO Summit, Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before."

Zelensky also said on Twitter that they discussed steps to make the transport of grain across the Black Sea possible again and to guarantee it in the long term, but did not go into any further detail.

Russia ended the international grain agreement on Monday, which had allowed Ukraine to sell some 33 million tons of grain and food abroad since last summer, despite the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The deal was not only crucial for Ukraine's economy but for global food supply chains. Since terminating it, Moscow has been attacking grain storage facilities in the port city of Odessa, one of the ports through which Ukraine shipped grain under the international agreement.