Members of the UN Security Council have urged Russia to return to an agreement that allows Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea.

The Security Council held an emergency session at Russia's request on Monday. This came after Moscow announced it was suspending its involvement in the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The agreement was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia repeated Moscow's claim that its Black Sea Fleet was attacked by Ukrainian drones last Saturday. He said the fleet was maintaining the safety of the "grain corridor."

Nebenzia accused Ukraine of violating the deal. He said that Russia had to suspend its participation indefinitely because it cannot guarantee the safety of civilian ships.

However, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the participants that "no vessels were in the corridor on the night the reported attacks took place."

US and European ambassadors denounced Russia for unilaterally halting the deal. French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said Moscow "has made the deliberate choice to use hunger as a means of pressure and a weapon of war."

African envoys stressed that the grain initiative is necessary to prevent a global food crisis. Kenya's Ambassador Martin Kimani said the suspension of the agreement "makes life harsher for millions who are not party to the war in Ukraine."