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Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called Friday for a rapid Black Sea ceasefire to allow safe passage for grain shipments from both Ukraine and Russia, as attacks on shipping make the sea deadlier for sailors than the Strait of Hormuz.
"I spoke in favor of doing something quickly because the people of the Global South need this grain," Sikorski told reporters at a meeting of Group of 20 foreign ministers in Atlanta.
Sikorski urged a ceasefire that would let grain reach countries in need, including Egypt, and stressed that protecting international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, is a shared interest.
He said Ukraine must be included in any effort to end Russia’s invasion, now in its fifth year, and that Europe had "cards" in the issue. Russia must reach a "fair end" to the war before resuming energy sales to Europe, he added.
More than 570 vessels have been struck in the Black Sea this year, according to maritime security firm Ambrey, killing at least 40 sailors, the International Maritime Organization has said.
About 387 ships were struck between July and September, more than five times the previous quarter, Ambrey said. Attacks averaged more than four a day in the third quarter.
"For me, the Black Sea and calling at Ukrainian ports is near suicidal," said Oleg Grygoriuk, chair of Ukraine’s Marine Transport Workers’ Trade Union, who spoke to Financial Times (FT).
The defense ministers of Türkiye, Bulgaria and Romania "strongly condemned" attacks on commercial vessels in a joint statement in Sofia on Wednesday.
"Disruptions to maritime traffic threaten global supply chains, food and energy security, particularly in vulnerable regions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia," the statement said, urging all parties to respect international law, including the Montreux Convention.
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said the joint stance reminded both warring parties that the security of Black Sea commercial routes "and of littoral countries was an inviolable red line." Türkiye reserves all legal rights over attacks on Turkish-flagged and Turkish-operated vessels, he said.
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The U.S., which holds the G20 presidency, has proposed Poland become a full member.
"President (Donald) Trump believes their economic success and growing global influence is exactly what the G20 needs to tackle the major economic challenges we all face," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the invitation broke diplomatic practice. "Of course, this violates the principles of diplomacy, and especially multilateral diplomacy, when members of associations such as the G20 work on the basis of consensus," he said.
Western officials say Poland’s full membership could take years given Russia’s opposition, as Sikorski’s Black Sea ceasefire call adds to pressure on Moscow and Kyiv.
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