UK working closely with Türkiye on restoring Black Sea grain deal, says British premier

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The UK has been working closely with Türkiye on restoring the Black Sea Grain Initiative, said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday after talking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone.

"We would continue to use our role as chair of the UN Security Council to further condemn Russia’s behavior," he said in statement.

"Russia was increasingly looking to target merchant vessels in the Black Sea area and the UK was carefully monitoring the situation alongside our partners," he added.

The statement said that the two leaders exchanged views on the progress made by Ukrainian forces despite facing challenging conditions.

Sunak also expressed deep concern over the devastating impact of recent Russian attacks on the port city of Odesa, saying he was "appalled" by the devastation caused by recent developments.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine during this difficult period.

"The UK continued to support Ukraine’s air defense and artillery needs with more ammunition and missiles being delivered," Sunak said.

Last week, Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal, saying the Russian part of the agreement was not implemented.

The agreement, initially signed in July of last year in Istanbul by Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine, was aimed at resuming grain exports from Ukrainian ports which had been halted as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war which began in February 2022.​​​​​​​