The United Kingdom's Royal Air Force has been protecting cargo vessels carrying grain from Ukraine in the Black Sea.

The Ministry of Defense increased RAF activity after Russia began attacking ships in July, when it scrapped a deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain from its ports.

Moscow said it pulled out of the deal because Ukraine refused to reopen an ammonia pipeline running from the Black Sea to central Russia. President Vladimir Putin's country then declared that all ships transiting to Ukrainian Black Sea ports will be treated as military vessels, irrespective of the cargo they are carrying.

Grain from the Black Sea region is considered vital for lower-income countries.

"We will use our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea, call out Russia if we see warning signs that they are preparing attacks on civilian shipping or infrastructure in the Black Sea, and attribute attacks to prevent false flag claims that seek to deflect blame from Russia," Downing Street said in a press release Thursday.

"As part of these surveillance operations, RAF aircraft are conducting flights over the area to deter Russia from carrying out illegal strikes against civilian vessels transporting grain."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is attending this weekend's G20 summit in New Delhi defended the RAF's activity in the Black Sea.

"Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality," Sunak said.

"The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin's destruction.

"That starts with dealing with the terrible global consequences of Putin's stranglehold over the most fundamental resources, including his blockade of and attacks on Ukrainian grain."

The British government announced that the U.K. will host an international food security summit in November "to tackle the causes of food insecurity and malnutrition."

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