French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on her Twitter page urged Russia to reconsider its decision on the grain deal.

According to her, by refusing to participate in the deal, "Russia is exacerbating the global food crisis," and the decision has "serious consequences."

"Russia should reconsider this decision," Colonna stressed.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier said the Ukrainian authorities decided to derail the grain deal so that Kiev's nuclear blackmail could be added to the food blackmail.

Earlier, Russia officially notified the UN secretary general that it had stopped participating in the grain deal after Ukraine attacked the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol Bay.