Zelenskyy urges Stoltenberg to let Ukraine-NATO council deal with grain deal issue

Days after Russia announced that it is withdrawing from the highly contentious Black Sea Grain deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the issue with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The Ukrainian President shared the telephonic conversation he had with the NATO chief on Twitter. The two leaders spoke about the grain deal and other poignant issues pertaining to the Russia-Ukraine war on Saturday. During the conversation, Zelenskyy expressed that the NATO-Ukriane council should convene over the grain deal issue. 

“Had a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg. We discussed the implementation of the agreements reached during the Vilnius summit and further actions regarding the integration of Ukraine into @NATO,” Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter. “We shared assessments of the current situation in the Black Sea and the risks it poses for global food security. We also identified with Mr Stoltenberg the priority and future steps necessary for unblocking and sustainable operation of the Black Sea grain corridor,” he added.  In a nightly video address on the same day, the Ukrainian President stated that he had asked NATO Secretary General to further advance the developments in the NATO-Ukraine council and formulate a mechanism where decisions can have an actual impact on the war. “In our cooperation, we have moved to a new, more advanced level, the NATO-Ukraine Council and this mechanism can have an impact,” Zelenskyy said.“I proposed to Jens that the council be convened without delay for relevant crisis consultations. The meeting will take place in the coming days. We can overcome the security crisis in the Black Sea,” he added. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Belarusian counterpart in St. Petersburg on Sunday. 

Had a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg.

We discussed the implementation of the agreements reached during the Vilnius summit and further actions regarding the integration of Ukraine into @NATO.

We shared assessments of the current situation in the…

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 22, 2023

Putin calls Ukraine’s counter-offensive a ‘failure’ 

Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday for the first time since Belarus brokered a peace deal between Moscow and the Russian mercenary group Wagner. According to the Belarusian news outlet, BelTA News the meeting between the two leaders took place in St. Petersberg, where Putin hosted his longtime ally. As per the reports, the two leaders not only discussed Wagner’s new ambitions but also remarked how Ukraine’s counteroffensive has “failed”. The meeting commenced after the heads of the states arrived at the famous Konstantinovsky Palace.

“The agenda of the negotiations has been set. There are many issues to be discussed. Traditionally, this is a wide range of the most important and basic topics for Belarus-Russia bilateral relations: security, international agenda, economic cooperation, the Union State programs, joint effort to counter the illegitimate pressure and much more,” Lukashenko said in a press service. Meanwhile, in the meeting, Putin proclaimed that Ukriane’s counteroffensive has “failed”. “There is no counteroffensive,” BelTA quoted Lukashenko. “It exists, but it has failed,” Putin replied. Infamously known as the last dictator of Europe, Lukashenko lauded the success of the Russian army. 

"We can estimate how many soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine died considering the number of destroyed hardware. I know this because I served as an officer in the armoured army back in the day,” The Belarusian leader remarked. The Russian President made it clear that the plans to further ties between Russia and Belarus are being implemented. He insisted that the two nations are in a “better place than expected”.