UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he deeply regrets the decision by the Russian Federation to terminate the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, which includes the withdrawal of Russian security guarantees of navigation in the northwestern part of the Black Sea.
Speaking on Monday after Russia said earlier in the day that it suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain export deal, Guterres warned that hundreds of millions face hunger and the consumers that are confronting a global cost-of-living crisis "will pay the price."
"Today's decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere. But it will not stop our efforts to facilitate the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation," Guterres said. "We will stay fixed on finding pathways for solutions."