Russia may target civilian vessels in the Black Sea in an attempt to “destroy” Ukrainian exports after ending a key deal to export grain through Ukrainian ports, the British government warned on Tuesday.

The warning came after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “dismayed” by the Russian attacks on the city of Odesa during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, during which he emphasized Britain’s efforts to revive the Black Sea Initiative, which Moscow had put an end to, DPA and Agerpres reported on Tuesday.

“Britain believes that Russia may intensify its campaign to destroy food exports from Ukraine by targeting civilian ships in the Black Sea,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley warned, adding that the British government would refer the “unbelievable behavior” to the UN Security Council.

“Russia must stop holding global food supplies hostage and return to the deal,” Cleverley said.

A deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations was pulled by Russia on July 17, raising new concerns about global food security as the war drags on.

In recent days, Russia has launched dozens of missiles and drones over the Odesa region, a key Ukrainian grain export center.

“Great Britain is working closely with Turkey to restore the grain agreement”

In a phone call on Tuesday, the British prime minister told the Ukrainian president that Britain was working with Turkey to restore the initiative and was continuing to monitor the situation, calling any attempt by Russia to disrupt grain supplies from Ukraine “unacceptable.”

“The leaders of the two countries discussed the latest events on the battlefield and the continued progress of Ukrainian forces, despite the difficult conditions,” said the spokeswoman of the British Prime Minister’s office.

“The prime minister was horrified by the devastation caused by the recent Russian attacks on Odesa,” she added.

Regarding the initiative to export grain through the Black Sea, according to her, “the leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring the possibility of exporting grain from Ukraine to international markets.”

“Britain is working closely with Turkey to restore the grain agreement and we will continue to use our role as president of the UN Security Council to further condemn Russia’s behavior,” his spokeswoman quoted the British prime minister as saying.

According to a statement released by Downing Street, Rishi Sunak said that “Russia is increasingly trying to target merchant vessels in the Black Sea area, and the UK is closely monitoring the situation with its partners.”

For his part, Zelensky noted that “we discussed Russia’s daily attempts to destroy the historic center and port infrastructure of Odesa.”

“We must defend Odesa. Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen air defense in order to protect its historical heritage and to continue the “Black Sea Initiative” regarding the export of Ukrainian grain, Zelenskyi said.

“Instrumentalization of the world food supply, a calculated element of the Russian strategy”

In New York, the British ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, told the press that Russia “increased its attacks on grain stocks in Odesa” as well as “all over Ukraine”, including up to the border with Romania, AFP notes.

She condemned the “absurdity” of Moscow’s use of heavy weapons “to destroy food,” seeing in this evidence that “the instrumentalization of the world’s food supply is a calculated element of Russia’s strategy,” which demonstrates that it “does not care about the populations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America who are facing hunger and drought.”

Russia canceled an important agreement that allowed Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea, including to Africa, from the summer of 2022, despite Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports.

During the year, this agreement allowed almost 33 million tons of grain to be shipped from Ukrainian ports, which helped to stabilize world food prices and avoid the risk of shortages.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will begin Thursday in St. Petersburg with a Russia-Africa summit that will be a means of showing understanding, despite the situation in Ukraine and the termination of the grain agreement, which is causing concern among countries on the African continent.

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