; (17) Turkey, in coordination with the United Nations, has played an important role in alleviating global food insecurity by negotiating two agreements to allow grain exports from Ukrainian ports through a safe corridor in the Black Sea; (18) Russia has a brutal history of using hunger as a weapon and must be stopped; (19) countering the PRC’s coercive economic pursuits remains an important policy imperative in order to further integrate the Black Sea states into western economies and improve regional stability; and (20) Turkey’s continued delay in ratifying Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO undermines the strength of the alliance and inhibits the united international response to Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. 3. United States policy It is the policy of the United States to— (1) actively deter the threat of Russia’s further escalation in the Black Sea region and defend freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to prevent the spread of further armed conflict in Europe; (2) advocate within NATO, among NATO Allies, and within the European Union to develop a long-term coordinated strategy to enhance security, establish a permanent, sustainable presence in the eastern flank, and bolster the democratic resilience of United States allies and partners in the region; (3) advocate within NATO and among NATO Allies to develop a regular, rotational maritime presence in the Black Sea; (4) support and bolster the economic ties between the United States and Black Sea partners and mobilize the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and other relevant Federal departments and agencies by enhancing the United States presence and investment in Black Sea states; (5) provide economic alternatives to the PRC’s coercive economic options that destabilize and further erode economic integration of the Black Sea states