Upcoming NATO-Ukraine Council meeting on Black Sea security and grain exports

(Patria) - The previously announced meeting of the new NATO-Ukraine Council, which is expected to address Black Sea security, is scheduled for Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his Sunday night video address, Reuters reported.

NATO spokesperson Oanu Lungescu stated on Saturday that the meeting, which Zelenskiy requested in a phone call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will discuss the situation following Russia's withdrawal from the year-old deal overseeing the export of grain from Ukrainian ports.

"In fact, the date was agreed upon immediately after our conversation yesterday," Zelenskyy said.

"The meeting will take place this Wednesday," he added.

He said the meeting is one of the events Ukraine is preparing for in the coming week that will strengthen the country's defense. He said new support packages are being prepared, including more air defense, artillery, and long-range weapons.

Lungescu said the meeting will discuss the functioning of grain export corridors and will be held at the ambassadorial level. The inaugural meeting of the Council, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, was attended by heads of state or government.