NATO’s inaction as to Black Sea blockade encourages Putin to continue blackmail – Ukraine’s diplomat 

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"I continue to be surprised by the very passive position of our NATO partners. They state that if Putin blocks Ukraine's ability to send civilian ships to Odesa or other ports, a completely different situation will arise in the Black Sea. This is student-level thinking, because politicians can't talk like that, but representatives of high offices in Washington say it. I don't understand what these things mean. If Russia is sending one corvette there, then there should be three corvettes from NATO countries," the diplomat said.

Volodymyr Ohryzko added that three NATO countries are located on the Black Sea coast: Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.

"Perhaps not all of these countries have corvettes, but they have ships that can give an adequate response. We cannot allow Russia to single-handedly block the Black Sea. Then I don't understand why these three NATO countries are there, because it is their right to do what they see fit. By the way, it is also their right to conduct ships along their borders. I have a huge question: Why can't NATO think of this banal idea? It's not as scary as it seems to some, because it's not an escalation, it's ensuring freedom of navigation. There is a special UN convention that regulates these things, and no one has canceled it. No one has also canceled the Montreux Convention, which allows warships to enter the Black Sea for a stay of no more than 21 days. Why are there no ships from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other NATO countries there? In my opinion, this position only encourages Putin to continue his policy of blackmail, and he will do so because he does not meet any resistance," Ohryzko said.

Some details on the grain deal

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was a deal made separately between Russia and the UN, and Ukraine and the UN, with Turkey acting as a mediator. It was agreed upon in July 2022 in Istanbul and has been extended multiple times since then.

On July 16, the last ship loaded with Ukrainian agricultural products under the initiative left the port of Odesa. On 17 July, Russia announced the termination of the grain deal. In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was necessary to continue using the grain corridor even despite Russia's withdrawal from the agreement. And Kuleba began urgent consultations at the UN.

The White House condemned Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal, which played a crucial role in reducing global food prices.

To continue the agreement, Russia made certain demands, including:

• The reconnection of Russia's Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the international payment system SWIFT.

• The resumption of the supply of agricultural machinery, spare parts, and services.

• The lifting of restrictions on insurance and reinsurance, as well as the removal of the ban on accessing ports.

• The reopening of the ammonia pipeline Togliatti - Odesa.

• The unblocking of foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies involved in food and fertilizer production and transportation.
• The NATO-Ukraine Council met on July 26 to address the serious security situation in the Black Sea region following Russia's unilateral withdrawal from the UN- and Turkish-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg convened the meeting at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the second meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council after its inaugural meeting at the Vilnius summit in early July. The NATO ambassadors and the invited Swedish ambassador were joined by Oleksandr Kubrakov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure, and Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, via video conference.
• NATO and Allies have stepped up surveillance and reconnaissance in the Black Sea region, including with maritime patrol aircraft and drones.