United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Monday that Russia's decision to halt the Black Sea Grain Initiative is "unconscionable."
Speaking at a press conference, Blinken underscored that the agreement should be restored "as soon as possible," adding that the US and Ukraine will continue to look into any other possible options.
However, the US official cautioned that the challenge here is "even if there are other options, it [Russia's move] will likely have a profound chilling effect on the ability to pursue them as other countries, companies, and shippers will be very concerned about what happens to their ships and personnel."