GENEVA

The NATO chief on Monday decried Russia's decision to pull out from the Black Sea grain deal despite Türkiye's effort to mediate.

"I condemn Russia's unilateral decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, despite the efforts by our Ally Türkiye and the UN," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter.

Stoltenberg underscored that Russia's "illegal war" against Ukraine continues to "harm millions of vulnerable people around the world."

Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin announced that it has suspended the deal saying that 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. These exports had been halted as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war which began in February 2022.

A Joint Coordination Center was set up in Istanbul last year with officials from the three countries and the UN to oversee the shipments.

The deal has been renewed several times since then, and it was extended for another two months on May 18.