On Monday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting in Athens with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov, during which the parties discussed the situation in the Black Sea region.

"The interlocutors paid special attention to the situation in the Black Sea region. They discussed cooperation between the Black Sea states to ensure sustainable security in the Black Sea and the functioning of the grain corridor in alternative ways," the press service of the Ukrainian head of state said on Tuesday morning.

The President of Ukraine thanked Bulgaria for condemning Russia's unilateral withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

"Ukraine is ready to use alternative ways for the grain corridor. We count on Bulgaria's support in this regard," Zelenskyy said.

In addition, the parties discussed further cooperation to protect Ukraine.

In turn, the head of the Ukrainian state expressed gratitude to Denkov for the comprehensive support of Ukraine in the fight against Russia, in particular, for the decision of the Bulgarian government to provide defense support, as well as for supporting the Ukrainian Peace Formula and Bulgaria's readiness to take part in the implementation of its specific points.

"The head of state noted Bulgaria's accession to the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, adopted by the G7 countries at the NATO Summit in Vilnius," the press service said.

During the meeting, the head of the Bulgarian government "reaffirmed his principled support for the Crimea Platform, the third summit of which will be held in Kyiv on August 23, 2023."